Koo, 'Japan killer' in baseball

Koo Dae-Sung is the representative left-handed pitcher from Korean pro baseball who used to display his capability fully in bigger games.

Koo was the hero of the Korean team when it captured the bronze medal as he pitched the entire game, allowing only one run in the consolation match against Japan, Wednesday.

He overwhelmed Japanese batters with his fast ball of about 140kph and change-up, scattering five hits and walking three, while striking as many as 11.

During this season, he often blew victories coming on in relief, giving rise to speculation that his heyday was over.

Yet, Koo pitched 19 and one-third innings in three games during the Sydney Olympics for an ERA of 1.86, the best performance among professional players.

Koo, who earned his reputation as the best left-handed pitcher on the national team during his amateur days, lost much of his ability due to a shoulder injury suffered shortly after he joined the Hanwha Eagles in 1993.

But he began to regain his past skills and talent, though slowly, from 1995, and became the MVP of the regular season, racking up the most wins, most saves, lowest ERA and highest winning rate.

Last year, he finished third in saves as he had to play as both a starter and in relief, but he was the hero in the Korean Series with four saves to help his team win the championship.

This season, his record is four wins, six losses and 21 saves for an ERA of 2.36, which is a good performance outwardly, but he often failed to convert saves to the disappointment of fans.

In the match against Australia on Sept. 18 in the preliminaries, he pitched four and one third innings of shutout relief against Aussie batters, earning seven strikeouts and heralding his good performance in the remaining matches.

In the match against Japan on Sept. 23, the crucial game to decide the berth for a semifinal, Koo successfully stopped Japanese batters, allowing only three runs in six innings for a 6-5 victory.

As a virtual ace pitcher of the Korean team in the Olympic Games, he drew attention from U.S. and Japanese pro leagues. He is expected to advance abroad after this season through consultation with his team.