As the summer heats up, it gets scarier. The best starting pitcher in the league right now. Definitely Ko Young-pyo.
KT Wiz’s Young-pyo Ko put on another dominant performance. He threw eight innings of one-run ball against the SSG Landers in Suwon, giving up six hits and striking out four. He didn’t walk a batter or hit a batter. The SSG offense hasn’t been hitting well lately, but they didn’t have much of a chance against Ko.
Young-pyo Koh cooked the SSG hitters with fewer pitches. His pitches were so good that even if the batters touched the ball hard, it was either a fly ball or a ground ball. There were very few hard hits. The six hits SSG did manage were scattered hits, and with runners on base, Ko was even more focused and got himself out of trouble. Of the six hits he allowed, three were doubles, but he didn’t falter after the long ball. Instead, he was confident in his pitches.
The opposing starter, Kirk McCarty, wasn’t in great shape, but the SSG batters couldn’t get anything going against Young-pyo Ko. He managed his pitches perfectly and never threw more than 100 pitches until the eighth inning. The KT bats provided solid run support as the team cruised to an 8-0 victory, and Ko was named the winning pitcher.
As of Jan. 1, Ko had a record of 9-5 with a 2.50 ERA in 19 games. In the categories that count toward winning an individual title, Ko is not at the top of the list. He’s fifth in ERA and fifth in wins.
However, he only has nine wins. He also leads the league in quality starts (six or more innings and three or fewer earned runs) with 15, which is the most prestigious honor for starting pitchers, although it’s not an individual title. The top two foreign pitchers, Adam Plutko (LG) and Raul Alcantara (Doosan), are just one short of him with 14.
It’s even more remarkable when you look closer. In terms of Quality Start Plus (QS+), which is based on seven innings and three earned runs or less, Ko leads the way with 13. The next two, Woo-jin Ahn (Kiwoom) and David Buchanan (Samsung), have eight. Young-pyo Ko is more than just a QS, he’s a pitcher who can reliably pitch seven innings or more.
Earlier in the season, he gave up five runs, eight runs, and was pulled after just two innings. On May 30, Ko was scratched due to back pain after giving up three runs (two earned) in two innings against the KIA Tigers.
But since then, in every game he’s pitched since June, he’s gone at least six innings. He’s pitched at least six innings seven times in nine games since June. In particular, his four straight QS+ games, including the last four against SSG, have been nothing short of monstrous. Even with the All-Star break in the middle of it, Ko has been thriving at a time when most starters struggle the most.안전놀이터
The stabilization of the starting pitching staff, including Ko, has been the driving force behind KT’s rise from the bottom 10 in early June to fifth place, more than three spots above third place. In particular, Ko Young-pyo has gone beyond being KT’s “ace” and is now the team’s top pitcher.