“It was the first time in my baseball life that I stood on the mound in the 9th inning (after starting).”
‘Healthy’ Chang-mo Koo has no shortage of competing for the position of the best pitcher in the KBO. Koo Chang-mo looked forward to a confrontation with Ahn Woo-jin (Kiwoom Heroes).
Chang-mo Koo, whom we met at Changwon NC Park on the 23rd, expressed his inner thoughts, “I want to make sure that the word ‘healthy’ is no longer attached. I want to become a pitcher who scares opponents with the three letters of Chang-mo Koo’s name.”
In 2019 he achieved his first 10 wins. In 2020, he had an all-time best season with 9 wins and an average ERA of 1.74 in the first half alone, but he was hindered by injuries. He played a part in the team’s Korean Series victory, but missed the following year due to an injury.
Even last year, the record of 11 wins and 5 losses and an average ERA of 2.10 is dazzling. However, the innings were only 111⅔ innings. His career high in innings was 133 innings in 2018.
Gu Chang-mo himself knows this well. He said, “I want to go out as a starter and digest many innings. I always think that way. I want to erase that regret this season.”
He also waved his hand at the words ‘Healthy Gu Chang-mo’. He emphasized, “We should not stick to the word ‘health’.” 메이저사이트
No wins this year yet. In his first two games, he failed to fill even five innings. However, on the 15th against SSG Landers, he rewrote his own baseball history by fighting 8⅔ scoreless innings. Even against Lotte on the 21st, he had a good pitch with 6 scoreless innings, but could not lead to victory.
“In the beginning, it was the same with the WBC (World Baseball Classic), and since I lacked confidence, I think I collapsed alone. I threw up to the 8th inning, but the 9th inning was the first time in baseball. By the 8th inning, the score was tied 0-0 and I had about 90 pitches, so I had no intention of going down. I tried to stay on the mound as much as possible. I was not a winning pitcher, but it was really good that the team won.”
There was a lot of action on the mound. He even roared when he passed the crisis. It is as intense as the confidence regained. Koo Chang-mo said, “I used to be a bit calm in the past, but this year it has the meaning of encouraging myself, and it’s also a dramatic situation, so it came out naturally.”
He is attracting attention as the league’s representative left-handed ace following Ryu Hyun-jin, Kim Gwang-hyun, and Yang Hyeon-jong. He was cautious, saying, “If I can carry on that genealogy, of course it’s good… but I have to work harder.” You can motivate yourself by watching young pitchers such as Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun. However, Chang-mo Koo’s strength is not restraint, but brain pitching using control and breaking balls.
“Ahn Woo-jin has a stable balance, throws the ball very comfortably, is fast, and strikes out well. He seems to be a pitcher who has everything. I also want to show a proper pitching match against An Woo-jin that fans will like. I wonder if I will dream of becoming the best. I will try harder.”