It's Go time: Korean pitcher K's 2 in debut
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MESA, Ariz. -- Woo-Suk Go said he was "super nervous" for his MLB Spring Training debut on Thursday afternoon. It did not show.
Go struck out the first A’s batter he faced, prospect Tyler Soderstrom, on three pitches -- fastball, slider, curveball. After a groundout and a ground single, Go concluded his scoreless eighth inning with another strikeout in the Padres’ 5-3 victory.
“I have pride in those three pitches,” the right-hander said, via translator Leo Bae. “That is what made me successful in Korea. Obviously, this is a higher level league, but I will continue to use my arsenal.
“What I feel most happy about is the swing and misses on my fastball. There is a lot of stuff to work on. Just try to stay healthy and be strong for Opening Day.”
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Opening Day for the Padres will come March 20 in the Seoul Series. Go said it will be an honor to participate.
“It is going to be special as a Major League player wearing a Padres’ jersey and going out to the mound on my home soil,” Go said. “As a baseball player, it is always exciting, but super nervous to be in Opening Day.”
Padres manager Mike Shildt was impressed.
“I loved the body language, the assertiveness,” Shildt said. “Everything was hitting. Good spin. That ball was going where he wanted it to go. I thought it was a tremendous first outing.”
Go was 3-8 with a 3.68 ERA and 15 saves for the LG Twins last season, his seventh with the team. He had 354 career appearances and 139 saves in the KBO.
LG won the Korean Series, and Go got the final out of the finale on Nov. 13. He said he appreciated the fact that he has not been rushed in this camp.
“I’m grateful the team gave me extra time to be fresh, be strong, for the first game,” Go said. “I don’t think about roles. I’m just a pitcher. Go out and do my job. It is my job to go out there and get those outs.”
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Patiño on the way?
The Padres expect to see Luis Patiño in the near future after the right-hander posted a message on social media that read in part, “See you soon.” He has missed the first 20 days of camp after being delayed by visa issues.
Patiño has been communicating daily with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Shildt said, and has sent videos of his bullpen and live batting practice sessions. Patiño, who broke into the Majors with the Padres in 2020, returned to the organization when he was claimed off waivers from the White Sox in December.
It appears Patiño might be able to begin the season on time.
“We’ll evaluate when he gets here and take it from there,” Shildt said. “We have some time in camp, so we can’t rule anything out.”