“Did you try to be perfect?”

After two outs in the top of the 7th inning, Koh Young-pyo's attempt at making history as the first player in Korea came to an end. His mental state could have been shaken, but a comment from a senior catcher on the mound relieved all his tension and pressure.

The homegrown ace of the professional baseball team KT Wiz, Koh Young-pyo, started in the season's 7th game against the Doosan Bears in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League on the 27th at Suwon KT Wiz Park, throwing 7⅔ innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, striking out 9, and giving up 1 run, achieving his 4th win (4 losses) of the season. It was a valuable performance that led the team to a 4-game winning streak and their 700th total win.

After the game, Koh Young-pyo noted, “The ratio of pitches in the strike zone was high, so I was able to manage the game from a favorable count. Recently, this frequency had decreased, making it difficult, but today I was able to throw changeups in and out of the zone at will. It was easy to manage the game.”

On this day, Koh Young-pyo almost faced a major incident. He showcased a dominant performance against the Doosan lineup, not allowing a single batter to reach first base until there were two outs in the top of the 7th inning. Thanks to his aggressive pitching, he only threw 46 pitches through the 5th inning, and with the batting line supporting him by scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 6th, expectations rose for a historic perfect game in the KBO League, but after two outs in the top of the 7th inning, he gave up his first hit to Yang Eui-ji, ending the attempt.

When mentioning the moment he allowed his first hit, he said, “I always take on such big challenges, but I thought there will be times when it breaks and tried to forget it quickly.” He added, “After the perfect game was broken, (Jang) Sung-woo came up on the mound and jokingly asked, ‘Did you try to be perfect?’ Since the record was broken, there was nothing I could do, and I focused on my set position right away. I didn’t pitch well from the set position today, so it’s something I need to improve in the next game.”

The perfect game was broken, but Koh Young-pyo bore responsibility on the mound until there were two outs in the top of the 8th inning, completely eliminating the chance for a setup man appearance, especially with the late injury of Lee Dong-hyun. Following Koh Young-pyo, closer Park Young-hyun, shining as the save leader, came in and finished the game with a flawless 1⅓ innings.

Koh Young-pyo mentioned, “Before the game, I met the manager who was briefing the injury news of Lee Dong-hyun, and with a serious voice, he said, ‘From now on, I must pitch until the 7th inning.’ I pitched over 7 innings in the absence of Dong-hyun, and I'm glad the team could continue their winning streak.” He added, “We have many good bullpen pitchers aside from Dong-hyun. They are all waiting to pitch well, and I hope Dong-hyun returns quickly to be part of the team’s upward momentum.”

After a complete game shutout against the Kiwoom Heroes on April 20, Koh Young-pyo had suffered 4 consecutive losses, but rebounded with 7 innings and 1 run against the KIA Tigers on the 21st, and today with 7⅔ innings and 1 run, he regained his capability.

Koh Young-pyo stated, “Baseball is truly difficult yet fascinating; the pitching balance keeps changing, and it’s still changing now. As I age, I feel that aspect more significantly. When I was younger, I think I approached it more casually, but now conditioning has become extremely important.” He added, “Since I pitched well today, I will try to maintain the good parts from today.”

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