Young-pyo Ko (31), who had led the KT Wiz’s rise with his league-leading innings pitched, collapsed.
Ko Young-pyo started the game against the visiting Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on May 1 and struggled, giving up six runs on nine hits (one home run) in five innings with one walk and three strikeouts.
After failing to complete five innings against the KIA Tigers on May 30, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits in two innings, Ko turned into a force to be reckoned with in June.
From June 6 against the Lotte Giants to June 24 against the KIA Tigers, he had a streak of 12 consecutive quality starts (6+ innings or 3 earned runs).
Ten of those 12 games were quality starts plus (seven or more innings and three or fewer earned runs).
However, Ko struggled against the Kiwoom bats.
After giving up hits to Kim Tae-jin and Song Sung-moon in the first inning to leave two runners on base, he got off to a shaky start by giving up a two-run triple to Lee Ju-hyung.
With runners on first and second in the second inning, Kim Hye-sung’s single narrowly avoided a run as Lim Byung-wook was caught at home plate, but he was hit hard again in the third inning.
After giving up a single to Song Sung-moon and a double to Lee Joo-hyung to put runners on first and third, Kim gave up a sacrifice fly to Kim Hwijip to score the third run.
Soon after, he gave up a walk to Lee Hyung-jong, exposing his shaky command, and then gave up a three-run homer to Lim Byung-wook.
He threw his now-famous “sidewalk of imputation” changeup, but Lim scooped it up as if he’d been waiting for a low pitch, sending it over the right field wall.
The six-run inning ended Ko’s streak of 12 consecutive quality starts.
In the fourth and fifth innings, he got back to his old self by simply cooking the Kiwoom bats with five ground balls and one fielder’s choice.
However, he had already given up too many runs and handed the mound over to Lee Sang-dong at the start of the sixth inning, trailing 1-6. 카지노사이트