Ko Woo-seok's challenge to the 'American Stage'

After 'surprise posting' without prior communication "Saint Louis, which passed through Kim Kwang-hyun and Oh Seung-hwan, is considering recruiting."

The closing pitcher of the LG Twins, Ko Woo-seok (25) got married in January to the sister of his close friend Lee Jung-hoo (25) of the Kium Heroes. Their special bond between brother-in-law and brother-in-law continues as players, not as family members. Like Lee Jung-hoo, Ko Woo-seok challenged to the Major League (MLB) with the permission of the club. The posting period also coincides with Lee Jung-hoo. It runs from 10 p.m. on the 5th in Korean time to 7 a.m. on the 4th of January next year.

After consulting with Kiwoom early last year, Lee Jung-hoo declared his challenge to the MLB and has been fully prepared for a year. However, even LG was surprised when Ko Woo-suk announced his intention to post after this season. Not a few people found out about Ko only after the MLB Secretariat asked the KBO to check his identity. At the end of last year, Ko rejected the LG club's offer of a multi-year contract, citing his willingness to enter the MLB, but he did not guess that the timing of his challenge would be at the end of this year.

A fastball pitcher, Ko has been LG's closing pitcher for the past five years. Notably, he posted 42 saves and an ERA of 1.48 last season, his best performance ever. However, he faltered this season by posting 15 saves (an ERA of 3.68). While playing in international competitions as a member of the national team, Ko accumulated compensation points (the number of registered days) to meet the requirements for seven seasons in which he can play overseas. After much consideration, LG conditionally agreed on Ko's request, saying, "I will allow posting, but I will make a final decision on whether to allow him to play in the MLB after reviewing the transfer fee."

For now, a team has shown interest in Ko. The St. Louis Cardinals were joined by South Korean pitchers Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG Landers) and Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung Lions). The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the St. Louis team met with agents to reinforce its bullpen and discussed recruiting Ko Woo-suk from Korea and Yuki Matsui from Japan. The Belleville News Demerkrat, a daily newspaper based in Illinois and Missouri, also said, "St. Louis is considering recruiting Ko and Matsui," adding, "Now the team will closely examine whether they can be useful in the bullpen." If Ko starts specific negotiations on joining the team in the future, his decision to go to the U.S. is expected to be determined by the size of St. Louis' investment. 스포츠토토