“I want to continue to accumulate records and become a player who can contribute to the team.”
Ko Young-woo (Kiwoom Heroes) went 2-for-4 with a double, a walk, a stolen base, two RBIs and two runs scored in the first game of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League against SSG Landers at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, on April 19.
Kiwoom won 10-3 to snap a 13-game home losing streak.
After striking out in his first and second at-bats, Ko Young-woo stepped to the plate with runners on first and second in the bottom of the fifth inning, trailing 1-2, and delivered an RBI single. Kiwoom tied the game at 1-1 with RBI singles by Ronnie Dawson and Hye-Sung Kim.
Go stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning. Against reliever Choi Min-joon, he drew a walk and scored on a wild pitch. It was her second RBI of the game. Kim Hye-sung followed with an RBI single to extend the Kiwoom lead.
Go Young-woo came up to bat in the bottom of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and one out, and completed the multi-hit game with a single to left field. Dawson followed with a three-run home run off Kim Joo-on to give Kiwoom the win.
After the game, coach Hong Won-ki said, “Offensively, we were able to keep the game alive in the sixth inning thanks to Ko Young-woo’s calmly pushed ball, and Kim Hye-sung’s RBI double extended the lead. Dawson’s three-run homer in the eighth was the difference in the game.”
Ko Young-woo made his second career leadoff start. ”I tried to bat as usual without any pressure on the batting order,” he said, “I think I kept getting my hands on bad pitches at the beginning of the season, so lately I’ve been trying to stay in my zone even if I strike out. I’ve been trying not to miss the incoming pitches, and I think it’s paid off.”
“My hitting coach, Oh Yoon, always told me to go to the plate with the 사설토토 mindset that I’ll take care of it. I went in with that mindset today,” he said.
Last year, Go Young-woo became known to fans through JTBC’s baseball entertainment program “Strongest Baseball” and was selected by Kiwoom with the 39th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2024 KBO Rookie Draft.
Go has entered the Rookie of the Year race with a .394 batting average with 10 hits, nine RBIs, nine runs scored, and a .927 OPS in 28 games this season, but he said, “I’m going to focus on playing every day. I want to continue to accumulate records and become a player who can contribute to the team.”