ABS Specialized New Weapon from Japan → It was the secret to the revival of 34-year-old national ace...ERA 4.95 → 2.85 Big twist
Aug 28, 2025
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KT Wiz's Ko Young-pyo pitched well with one run in six innings against the Lotte Giants in Busan on the 27th, leading KT to a 7-2 complete victory.
It was his 18th quality start (more than six innings and less than three earned runs) in 22 starts this year. Even after achieving a quality start in the last four consecutive games, it took a long time to add a victory. The number of pitches is 101.
The man whose nickname is 'Ace of the national team' followed. Ahead of the 2024 season, his future seemed solid, even signing a five-year, non-FA extension contract of 10.7 billion won with his team.
Was it the burden of the first year of the extension contract. Due to the nature of the side arm, did he struggle with the strike zone of the ABS (automatic ball determination system).
I had a career-low season. He missed about two months due to injury and failed to show 'Goquals' appearance. He failed in his first double-digit wins since 2021 (6 wins and 8 losses) and his ERA reached a whopping 4.95. The double-digit multiplier march, which had been going on for three consecutive years, was also cut off.
But this year has been completely different. As the 2.85 ERA (6th in the league) shows, it has regained its ace-like presence. He also reached the top of the 10-win mark.
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And another thing, ABS as well. "Last year, I experienced ABS for the first time, and I came to the conclusion that I needed to refine my pitching design. The driving force behind such a good pitching is that I made a change after thinking about it."
The key to this year's turnaround is the installation of a 'new weapon' cut fastball. On the same day, Ko Young-pyo threw a combination of two-seam (39) and change-ups (42) with curves and cut fastballs (10).
"Last year, I learned cut fastball in Japan. It took me a while to put it on myself, but I think it's getting more and more optimized as I come to the second half of this season. Existing pitch-seam, change-up, and curve are pitches that bend or fall horizontally, and when you throw a cut fast ball, you can feel it rising relatively when you press the end of the ball. The batters' swing was late. The fight has become easier."
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On top of that, he shakes the eyes of the batter by using the diagonal zone as a change-up and two-seam. Ko Young-pyo said "Batters seem to be very picky. I have another game to thank," he smiled.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.