It was deja vu all over again for the KT Wiz pitcher Ko Young-pyo and first baseman Moon Sang-chul on Saturday.
The last time these two played in the same postseason game in the Korea Baseball Organization, the Wiz defeated the LG Twins 3-2 in Game 1 of the Korean Series last November. Moon hit an RBI double in the top of the ninth, after Ko threw six solid innings in a no-decision at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
On Saturday, Moon smoked a two-run home run in the top second, and Ko tossed four gutsy innings of one-run ball on one day's rest, as the Wiz beat the same Twins 3-2 in Game 1 of the first round at Jamsil.
"Whenever I pitch, Sang-chul tends to get big hits," Ko said of his teammate and friend. "We have some good things going whenever we play in the same game. Obviously, it's much easier to pitch with a lead. I was able to stay aggressive after his homer gave us the lead."
Ko, a righty with a sidearm delivery, started just two days after throwing 18 pitches in a relief appearance in a wild card game against the Doosan Bears. He had also started a game on Sept. 28 and then pitched three days later in a fifth-place tiebreaker game.
Before Saturday's game, Wiz manager Lee Kang-chul said he only hoped for two or three solid innings from Ko and he would have his best relievers ready to cover the rest.
But Ko gave his team more than that.
He was perfect through three innings. He threw nothing but two-seam fastballs and changeups, and the opposing hitters couldn't square up. Nothing left the infield the first time through the Twins' lineup.
They finally solved Ko in the fourth inning. Shin Min-jae singled for the team's first hit off Ko and stole second to get himself into scoring position. Austin Dean then followed up with a run-scoring single that cut the Wiz's lead to 2-1.
Ko gave up another hit later that inning but that was the extent of the damage.
He made 56 pitches before the bullpen took over. Even though he did not pitch long enough to qualify for the win, Ko was still named the Player of the Game.
"The manager was thinking about keeping me out there for about 50 pitches, but I told him I could throw my usual 100 pitches," Ko said. "I was able to capitalize on my strengths in this game. I had good vertical drops on my changeups."
Ko missed about two months of action starting in April due to elbow pains. He said he feels like he's just rounding into form.
"I feel like I have enough strength left in my body, even though my elbow and my shoulder may be fatigued," he said. "I am always ready to pitch whenever the team needs me."
Moon said he will remember grounding into an inning-ending double play in the sixth, when the Wiz had runners at the corners, as much as the home run.
"Not being able to cash in on that chance really bothered me. I felt terrible," Moon said. "My teammates created that chance and I couldn't capitalize on it. But thankfully, our relievers limited the damage. It doesn't matter who gets the game-winning hit, as long as we keep winning games."
