After a dramatic win in Game 3 of the best-of-seven Korean Series, LG Twins manager Yoon Kyung-yeop has reiterated his confidence in closer Ko Woo-seok.
Yim’s team came from behind to beat the KT Wiz 8-7 in Game 3 of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO Korean Series at KT Wiz Park in Suwon on Tuesday.
After dropping Game 1, LG took Games 2 and 3 in a row to improve to 2-1 in the series, leaving them just two wins away from their first Korean Series title in 29 years.
LG took a 5-4 lead after Austin Dean’s three-run homer in the third and Park Dong-won’s two-run shot in the sixth, and made an early decision to bring in closer Go Woo-seok in the eighth. However, he gave up a tying double to Hwang Jae-gyun and a game-winning two-run homer to Park Byung-ho.
The defeated LG rallied in the ninth inning when Oh Ji-hwan hit an exhilarating three-run shot with runners on first and second.
After the game, Yeom said, “It wasn’t easy today because KT’s starting pitcher was Wes Benjamin (who was strong against us), but Austin’s three-run homer gave us the lead. It was difficult because we didn’t play good defense, but our hitters picked up their game in the second inning and we were able to win the batting battle with KT. At the end of the game, Oh Ji-hwan hit the decisive home run.”
LG couldn’t let go of the tension until the very end, even with Oh’s comeback home run. Go Woo-seok, who remained on the mound, gave up a hit and a walk in the ninth inning, putting runners on first and second base.
The LG bench, which had planned to give Go Woo-seok two innings, eventually changed pitchers. Lee Jung-yong batted in the designated hitter role and drew a wild pitch and an intentional walk to load the bases, but Kim Sang-soo induced a pitcher’s interference to end the game without a run.
Despite the win, it was unfortunate for LG that Go Woo-seok continued to look shaky. After losing Game 1 to Moon Sang-cheol, Go Woo-seok seemed to rebound in Game 2 by preserving a one-run victory, but he faltered again in Game 3.
“After thinking about it, I was going to use Go Woo-seok in the eighth inning first and then bring in Lee Jung-yong when the pitch count went up, but I decided it was more important to close out the eighth inning. Go Woo-seok’s pitches weren’t bad, but he struggled with his control.”
“But Lee Jung-yong finished well and took the pressure off of Go Woo-seok. He will get better as he plays,” he said, expressing his expectations for Go Woo-seok.
LG has also been struggling to run the bases in the Korean Series. In Game 3, Shin Min-jae was thrown out trying to steal second base in the sixth inning.
Yoon said, “If the opponent throws accurately, you’re bound to get out. If I need to steal, I’ll keep playing.” “The most important thing is that the victory in 사설토토 Game 2 gave the players confidence to win. We were able to win game three today because we were hungry and desperate to win. We just need to be calmer overall.”