Match with Ohtani? Ko Young-pyo, "I want to try different changeups."

Match with Ohtani? Ko Young-pyo, "I want to try different changeups."

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Choi Won-joon (28, KIA Tigers), who faced KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo (34), threw his tongue. On the 15th, the opposing batters admired Ko Young-pyo, who struck out as many as 11 in six innings against KIA in Gwangju, saying, "The ball disappeared on the way."토토사이트

Choi Won-joon, who faced Ko on the day, said, "His change-up felt like even Shohei Ohtani (31) of the Los Angeles Dodgers would not be able to hit the ball." He added that the ball was so perfect that I wondered if I ever felt like this while playing baseball. "The opposing starting pitcher (Ko Young-pyo) had good pitching capability."

Change-up is Ko's main weapon. When a ball falls in front of a batter, batters endlessly turn their bat around. According to Statistics Korea, Ko's change-up pitch value is 14.4 points. He is leading second-ranked Ariel Furado (Samsung Lions, 9.9) of the Korean pro baseball league.

Ko Young-pyo threw as many as 54 changeups out of 99 pitches against KIA on the 15th, striking out 11. Ko Young-pyo also threw 55 changeups out of 100 pitches against the Gocheok Kiwoom Heroes on the 20th, winning the shutout with seven strikeouts and no runs in nine innings. It was a shutout with no walks or four pitches.

In this season, Ko has posted an ERA of 1.65 (six runs allowed in 32 2/3 innings) with two wins and no loss in five games. ERA ranks second after teammate So Hyung-joon (1.44), and has the largest number of innings among Korean players after Lim Chan-kyu (33 innings with the LG Twins). He ranks first with 39 strikeouts among Korean players. Among players who have thrown in five games and 30 innings or more in the league, he has overwhelmingly few walks (5).

Ko pointed to the revival of changeups as the driving force behind his stellar pitching this season. "Last year's changeups were flat, so they became a good prey to hitters," he said. "I also talked a lot with KT's coach Lee Kang-chul. I had to give strength at the right time, but it wasn't easy as I got hurt. This year, I recovered my pitching capability and am playing well."
This year, the strike zone of the automatic pitching determination system (ABS) decreased by about 1 centimeter from last year. Ko has prepared measures to prepare for last winter. The team adjusted the location by finely stepping on the pitching board. Thanks to such efforts, Ko has regained the ball power of the "native ace."

Given his current conditions, he could have a showdown with Ohtani, the world's best baseball star. If Ko is selected for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) national team in March next year, he could have a showdown with Ohtani, who will play for the Japanese national team.

"Thank you to Choi Won-joon for mentioning the world's best hitter (Ohnati). I'm glad to hear your compliment," Ko said. "I just imagined it, but wouldn't I be able to swing and miss (from Otani)? Ohtani also seems to have difficulty as he has not seen many changeups thrown by side-arm throwers. It is not easy to cope with and it is a rare pitch. I want to maintain good pitching (to the WBC)."