Kow-seok Ko (27), a pitcher with the Miami Marlins' Double-A affiliate Pensacola Wahoos, made his first appearance in a game since his injury.

Sent to the Rookie team FCL Marlins for a rehabilitation game, Ko started on the 9th (Korean time) at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Florida, against the FCL Cardinals (affiliated with the St. Louis Cardinals), recording 2 innings with no hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts without allowing a run.

In the 1st inning, after getting Andrew Knapp to fly out to center field, Ko induced Yairo Padilla into a ground ball to shortstop, but a throwing error allowed the runner to reach base. After allowing a stolen base to second, a crisis with one out and a runner on second continued, but he struck out Rainiel Rodriguez for a Samjin.

He allowed Padilla to steal third base, but ended the first inning by striking out Pakondo Velasquez for a Samjin.

In the 2nd inning, he got Braiswell Taveras to fly out to left field, and retired Paulo Asprilla on a ground out to third before allowing a walk to Hansel Almonte. However, he concluded the inning by striking out Daniel Rojas for a Samjin.

With a no-hitter and no runs allowed over 2 innings, Kow-seok Ko returned from his rehabilitation outing with a good feeling and aims to quickly return to Double-A to seek promotion to the next level.

Kow-seok Ko, a right-handed fireballer who recorded 139 saves during his 7 years with the LG Twins in the KBO League from 2017 to 2023, advanced to Major League Baseball (MLB) through a posting system with the permission of the LG team after winning the Korean Series in 2023. Last January, he signed a guaranteed 2-year contract worth $4.5 million with the San Diego Padres. The conditions included a mutual option that could be worth up to $7 million in 2026.

However, things went awry from the start. Due to delays in visa issuance, he had to leave for the U.S. just before spring training began, and he started bullpen pitching on the first day of camp, but his effectiveness did not improve. He struggled significantly during spring training, posting a record of 2 losses with an earned run average of 12.60 over 6 games. He came to Korea for the MLB World Tour Seoul Series but was left off the opening roster. A painful moment came when he gave up a home run to Lee Jae-won in a special game against his former team, allowing 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs in 1 inning.

San Diego sent Ko down to Double-A instead of the more hitter-friendly Triple-A for his adjustment but quickly gave up. On May 5 of last year, they acquired batting champion Luis Arraez through trade and sent Ko to the minor leagues along with 3 prospects. Although it seemed that he would get a call-up opportunity with the weaker Miami team compared to San Diego, that did not happen.

After struggling in Triple-A following the trade, Kow-seok Ko was designated for assignment (DFA) on May 31. With no interested teams, his transfer fell through, and he was excluded from the Miami 40-man roster, changing his status even to a minor leaguer. After being sent back to Double-A on July 12, he finished the season without any promotions. His overall minor league statistics included 44 games (52⅓ innings), with a record of 4 wins, 3 losses, and 3 saves, and an earned run average of 6.54 with 52 strikeouts.

There were discussions about the possibility of returning to Korea last winter, but Kow-seok Ko continued his challenge in the U.S. this year. With a guaranteed salary of $2.25 million, there was no financial reason to give up. However, he faced another setback due to an injury sustained early in spring training as an invited player. On February 21, he suffered a fractured right index finger while shadow pitching. He had prepared for spring training with a fastball reaching 95 miles per hour (152.9 km/h) but ended up on the injured list without throwing a single pitch.

Although a regrettable situation arose from the start, Kow-seok Ko announced his return to action after 2 and a half months of rehabilitation. There is still a long way to go, but it is good to find his health.

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