Go Woo-seok’s big league dreams slipping away

‘This is unbelievable’ Shocking Double-A demotion → 1 inning, 1 HR, 3 runs

Go Woo-seok, 26, has been demoted to Double-A as he continues to struggle to reach the major leagues.

The Miami Marlins’ Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp announced today (Dec. 12) that they have assigned Goh to their Double-A affiliate, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. Immediately following the move to Double-A, Koo made a start against the Rocket City Trashpandas (affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) at Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama, giving up three runs on three hits (one home run) with one walk and one strikeout in one inning of work.

He took the mound in the bottom of the ninth inning with his team leading 10-5. After a shaky start with a leadoff walk to Mack McCroskey, Goose got the bases loaded with nobody out on an unassisted steal. He struck out Nelson Lada on a wild pitch, but gave up an RBI double to Gustavo Campero.

With runners on first and third on Campero’s stolen base, Koo got Orlando Martinez to ground out to second base for the second out. The runner from third came home to make the score 10-7.

With the bases loaded, Koo gave up a solo home run to Eric Wagaman over the left-center field fence for the third run. After giving up a walk to Tucker Flint, Gauskopf got Ben Goebel to fly out to second base to end the game.

After declaring for the U.S. team through the posting system after the 2023 season, Ko signed a two-year, $4.5 million contract with the San Diego Padres in January. With options, the two-year, $9.3 million (approx. KRW12.8 billion) deal was a reflection of the high expectations for the bullpen pitcher.

He made it to the United States, but his dream major league debut didn’t come easily. Go flew to South Korea in March to take part in the opening two games of the 안전놀이터 season between San Diego and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Seoul, but he was not included on the 26-man opening roster and had to watch from the dugout. After struggling in the exhibition games, going 2-2 with a 12.60 ERA in six games and one save, he was forced to start the 2024 season in Double-A.

After failing to make an impact with the San Antonio Missions, where he went 2-2 with two saves and a 4.38 ERA in 10 games, he was acquired from San Diego to Miami on May 5 in a 4-for-1 trade (Gauskuhl, Dylan Head, Jacob Masi, Nathan Matorella↔Luis Araez). He was designated for assignment (DFA) by Miami on May 31, cleared waivers, and was optioned to the minors on June 5.

After the move, Koo was given a chance at Triple-A, but he didn’t show much of a turnaround. His fastball, which had averaged around 95 mph (153 km/h) in the KBO, had lost some of its power, with his top speed hovering in the low 150 mph range. Ultimately, with nothing to show for it, Go was sent down to Double-A after failing to make it out of Triple-A, furthering his major league dreams.

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