Ko Woo-seok has already returned home → Meet LG’s old teammates at Jamsil Stadium and say, “I think I will continue to challenge for ML next year.”

Ko Woo-seok (26, Pensacola Blue Wahus) has already entered Korea and is taking a long break. Recently, he quietly visited Jamsil Baseball Stadium and greeted his old teammates of the LG Twins.

The 2024 season for Ko was turbulent. Although he returned home without taking the mound in the Major League, it was a beautiful challenge that deserved applause. In fact, Ko is Korea’s best closing pitcher who can sign a multi-year contract with LG or ensure a big hit as a free agent. After the 2023 season, however, Ko confidently challenged himself on the U.S. stage, which any baseball player dreams of.

Of course, it was not an easy road. In early January, Ko made his way to the U.S. after signing a two-plus-year, four-million-dollar contract with the San Diego Padres. He became the seventh player in the KBO league to advance to the Major League through the posting system (closed competitive bidding). He was also the third after Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers). 메이저사이트
Could his fate have changed if he had shown good performance at the exhibition game? However, he failed to make a significant impression at the exhibition game and was not listed on the opening roster in the end. He accompanied him to the opening series of the Major League Baseball in Seoul, Korea, but failed to make the opening entry in the end.

Ko started his U.S. career in Double-A. However, this performance was not easy either. Before being traded to the Miami Marlins in May, he pitched in 10 Double-A relief games and recorded two losses, one hold and one save, and an ERA of 4.38 without a win. After being traded to the Miami Marlins, he was promoted to Triple-A, but suddenly suffered from being assigned the designation in late May. DFA is a process to change or terminate a contract between a club and a player in the Major League. With the process being processed, Ko was immediately excluded from the 40-man roster of Major League Baseball, and was automatically announced as waivers at the same time. Both the San Diego and Miami teams turned a blind eye to Ko.

Since then, no team has appeared that wants Ko Woo-seok, so he chose to remain a minor league player for the Miami club. Ko Woo-seok, who went down to the minor league, continued to play on the Triple-A stage, went down to Double-A in July, and ended the season with the final round of the 2024 U.S. minor league regular season on the 16th.

Ko’s minor league performance this season has been achieved through 44 appearances, with four wins, three losses and three saves with an ERA of 6.54. In a total of 52 ⅓ innings, he had a batting average of 0.306 with 52 strikeouts and a WHIP (perinning allowance) of 1.72 on balls with 68 hits (eight homers) and 45 runs (38 earned runs). In Triple-A, he had two wins and no losses in 16 games, one hold, and two wins, three losses, three saves and an ERA of 8.04 in 28 games in Double-A, respectively.

Ko Woo-seok returned home after finishing the season in the minor league. And now, Ko Woo-seok is taking a long break after quietly returning to Korea. On the 21st, he visited Jamsil Stadium, where the Doosan Bears and doubleheader were held, and greeted his former teammates of the LG Twins. LG Twins pitcher Lee Jung-yong, who joined Sangmu in December last year, also visited the stadium and greeted his teammates.

Attention is now focused on Ko Woo-seok’s future course. There is still one year left on his contract with Miami. First of all, it is said that Ko Woo-seok is likely to challenge the Major League again next season as he receives the remaining salary. An official familiar with Ko Woo-seok’s situation told Star News, “There is a high possibility that he will start in the U.S. next year as well, as re-challenge and salary issues are at stake.” Since Ko Woo-seok has advanced overseas through posting, he must sign a contract with LG, his original club, when he returns to the domestic stage. The official said, “If the situation changes during the season, we may consider returning to LG. However, I think he will seek promotion to the Major League once again, starting with the minor league.” Last year, Ko Woo-seok said ahead of his advance to the U.S., “Personally, I want to stay as long as I can speak English well. Still, I hope he can master English.”

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