The desperate KT Wiz will send their rugged submarine, Ko Young-pyo (32), to the mound in Game 3 of the KBO Playoffs (PO) to try and bounce back.
Tanner Tully (29) will start for the NC Dinos.
KT manager Lee Kang-cheol had earlier announced Ko Young-pyo as the starter for Game 3 of the PO before Game 2 at Katie Wise Park in Suwon on Oct. 31.
NC head coach Kang Myung-hyun revealed his starting lineup for Game 3 after the game.
Game 3 of the PO will be held on November 2 at 6:30 p.m. at Changwon NC Park.
KT finished second in the regular season and went directly to the PO, but dropped the first and second games of the best-of-five series. One more loss and they will be out of the competition this fall.
After using two foreign pitchers, William Cuevas (3 innings, 6 hits, 7 runs, 4 earned runs) in Game 1 and Wes Benjamin (5 innings, 4 hits, 3 earned runs) in Game 2, KT will use their homegrown ace in Game 3.
Ko has 17 quality starts (7+ innings, 3 earned runs or less) in the regular season this year. He leads the league in this category. His 21 quality starts (6+ innings, 3 earned runs or less) were tied for second.
For the season, Ko is 12-7 with a 2.78 ERA.
He also pitched well against NC, going 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA in four games.
However, he struggled against NC’s key hitters, including Park Min-woo (13-for-9, 3 RBI), Park Gun-woo (13-for-8, 1 home run, 3 RBI), Son As-seob (11-for-4), and Kwon Hee-dong (8-for-3).
Ko Young-pyo has yet to report a postseason victory.
In the 2021 Korean Series, he pitched all three games in relief, and in last year’s semifinals, he made one start and took the loss.
KT, which is in danger of being eliminated, needs him to bounce back.
Tanner will also be looking for his first KBO postseason win.
Tanner pitched well in the regular season this year, going 5-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 11 games.
He made one start against KT, giving up two runs on six hits and four walks in six innings.
Jang Sung-woo went 2-for-3 off Tanner, while Anthony Alford and Min-hyuk Kim went 1-for-3.
However, Tanner’s two fall starts have been disappointing.
Tanner struggled in the wild-card game against the Doosan Bears on Sept. 19, giving up five runs on seven hits in four innings.
He also gave up five runs on five hits in two innings in the semifinals against the SSG Landers on April 25.
With NC on a six-game winning streak this fall, Tanner was given another chance to start.
If Tanner can redeem himself in Game 3 of the PO, NC will open the door to the Korean Series. 토토사이트
