KT is the hero of the first-ever tiebreaker in Korean baseball history. After 144 games were played in 2021, the team tied for first place with Samsung, and ultimately won the first place. KT won the championship and even the Korean Series.안전놀이터

On October 30, the 144th game of the year, KT, which had to win the last one game in the same situation as the crew's loss against SSG and Samsung, used Ko Young-pyo as a middle pitch in the final game. Ko Young-pyo, who pitched 109 pitches against NC on October 28, pitched one run in 7.1 innings and pitched three innings in the final game two days later, pitched three innings in the sixth inning and passed the ball to closer Kim Jae-yoon to win.

In 2024, when KT was at the crossroads of the tiebreaker again, Ko Young-pyo threw a middle pitch in the final game of the season to lead the victory.

Since starting against SSG on the 21st, Ko Young-pyo has rested for six days amid a vague KT schedule. However, he did not start in the final game against Kiwoom on the 28th. He had to prepare for another tiebreaker, which he may have to play against SSG, and the starting of the fifth-place match.

However, Ko Young-pyo waited as a mid-term pitch in a situation where he may not be able to go to the fall baseball depending on the result of the final SSG match on the 28th, when he played one more game than SSG and failed to win the final match.

Starter Wes Benjamin was replaced after 3.1 innings, and Ko Young-pyo took the mound in the top of the fourth inning with two outs and runners on first and second bases when Sovereign was trailing 1-6 after throwing 0.1 innings. A few days before starting, he took the mound with a plan to throw only 20 to 30 bullpen pitches and one inning.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, however, KT scored five runs en masse, tying the game 6-6. The game that he had to catch became a game that he could catch, and Ko took the mound at the top of the fifth inning as well. While KT came from behind to yield 10-6 by garnering one run in the bottom of the fifth inning, one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the game continued. The game that he had to win was impossible to replace. Ko Young-pyo's pitches were the best. He beat Kiwoom hitters quickly and sent them back. After finishing 0.1 innings with four pitches in the top of the fourth inning, Ko finished the first five innings with 12 pitches in the top of the sixth inning, six pitches in the top of the seventh inning, and 11 pitches in the top of the eighth inning. Ko, who pitched 4.1 innings but only 37 pitches, also took the mound in the top of the ninth inning, throwing 11 pitches and handing the ball to Park Young-hyun, who finished the game with two outs and runners on the second base. KT, which pushed the winning pitcher, won the game 10-7, and Ko became the winning pitcher. He stopped the game with 48 pitches in five innings.

Before the game, KT had decided to start Ko Young-pyo, the strongest pitcher against SSG, and Um Sang-baek as the starter for the first round of wild card game scheduled the next day. If SSG loses the final game on Sunday, with one more game to go, KT will rank fifth and move directly to the wild card game on Sunday. However, if SSG wins, it will have to play a tiebreaker on Sunday. After three days, when KT secured at least a tiebreaker by banking on Ko Young-pyo, who pitched in five innings instead of securing at least a tiebreaker, it will become difficult for KT to start the game.

If a tiebreaker is held, KT will adjust its starting pitching to "Tim Sang-baek." If the team advances to the wild card in this way, its starting pitcher in the first round will also be adjusted. William Cuevas is the most likely candidate who came next. In this case, a door opens again to how Ko Young-pyo will be utilized. If he wins the tiebreaker, he will be recorded as a team to advance to the autumn baseball league, and since he will have a chance to play against the wild card, there is a possibility that Ko, who threw only 48 pitches, will take the mound again as a midfielder. If he goes straight to the wild card, he will be able to manage the starting lineup as planned, and Ko can start when he advances to the semi-playoff. In many ways, it is best for KT to lose the tiebreaker.

In the history of the KBO, the only tiebreaker is in 2021, when KT and Samsung compete for the first place in the regular season. If successful, this year will be the first time for a tiebreaker in which the team will compete for the fifth place, which is the second and final line to advance to the autumn baseball league, and KT will take the lead again. KT will take a full rest for one day on Saturday and train in the afternoon on Saturday, before waiting for its fate to be decided by watching the final match of SSG in the evening.