He may not have been credited with a win or even a hold, but reliever Cho Sang-woo still played an integral role in the Kiwoom Heroes’ 5-4, extra-inning win over the Hanwha Eagles on Thursday night.

With the score tied at 4-4, Cho pitched two perfect innings to help set the stage for the Heroes’ 11th-inning rally at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

The Heroes’ last pitcher of the game, Cho Young-gun, was the pitcher of record, but the other Cho of the game was the unsung hero.

Cho Sang-woo, who returned from mandatory military service this season, threw two innings for the first time since Aug. 12, 2020.

“It’s been a while since I went two innings, and so I tried extra hard to stay focused,” Cho said after Ronnie Dawson delivered the walkoff hit in the bottom 11th. “Sometimes, I tend to lose concentration after one inning of work. So I consciously tried to stay locked in.”

Cho struck out four out of the six Eagles batters he faced. He got three of those strikers with a slider, and the fourth one with a curveba
ll — an unusual approach for a pitcher long known for a hard fastball.

“I had pretty good command, and I think I caught those hitters off guard with the breaking balls that I don’t throw that much,” Cho said. “I will try to keep making life difficult for them.”

In the process, Cho Sang-woo extended his scoreless streak to 15 games. His ERA was sitting at 4.50 before this streak began on May 31. It is now a much more respectable 2.79 through 38 2/3 innings.

“I am trying not to think too much about the streak,” Cho said. “In the past, whenever I tried too hard to keep some streaks going, it messed me up. I only want to take it one batter at a time and help the team win.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency