Go Woo-seok (28), who is trying to reach the major leagues from the U.S. minor leagues, candidly revealed his feelings about two years in the minors and a return to his KBO League former team, the LG Twins.
Go, who went to the U.S. in 2024, said this year would be his last attempt to reach the major leagues in the United States. Baseball circles predicted there was also a possibility he would return to LG in midseason (July-August).
Go appeared on the LG Twins club's YouTube channel released on the 3rd and talked about the behind-the-scenes of going to the United States, life in the minor leagues and returning to Korea. The video was filmed when Go trained with the LG spring camp in Arizona for about a week at the end of January.
Go recounted the process of signing with the San Diego Padres in 2024: "The offer came one day before the deadline. The real signing happened with one hour left before the deadline. I was happy that an offer had come. The offer came when I had almost given up, when I had let go of everything." He added, "But I thought it might be better not to go and discussed it with my wife, and she said, 'Wasn't this your dream? Shouldn't you go when you can?' So I decided to go."
Go said, "In that process the posting amount was so low — not low so I shouldn't go, but low enough that I might suffer a lot if I went. It wasn't that people told me not to go and I went anyway. I thought not going might be better, because I wasn't in normal form then. Before the Korean Series my disc ruptured, I got injections and pitched. The club knew everything, so they wanted me to recover properly, go out in the best form and get a better deal."
He explained, "The club said it might be better for the player to win together next year and then go out as a free agent. Honestly, free agency didn't hold much appeal for me. Even if I come back, returning to LG is great. I would have not gone if the club asked me not to. But the club owner and the acting owner told them to release me unconditionally. They told me to go and come back, and I'm still grateful."
In 2024 he played in Double-A under San Diego before being traded midseason to the Miami Marlins. He moved to Triple-A and was designated for assignment and released not long after. No other club made an offer, and he continued to play for Miami's Triple-A before being demoted to Double-A, finishing the 2024 season there.
The 2025 season brought bad luck with injuries. Go said, "I thought I had gotten my body right at last year's spring camp. Things were going well, but I broke a finger. Even now many people don't believe it. They ask, 'How do you break a finger holding a towel and doing shadow pitching?'"
"It really broke. It was the day before live pitching, a few days before the exhibition game. At the hotel weight room, the towel caught as it impacted and the finger twisted. I saw stars in front of my eyes. I went forward too much and put my hand down," he said.
He continued, "The next day, when I was supposed to do live pitching, I could feel it from warmups. I thought, 'This is serious.' Still, hoping for the best, I went through with the live pitching. Fastball velocity dropped by 3-4 mph, but still reached 148-149 km/h. I had practiced the splitter a lot and didn't throw it. A coach behind me asked, 'Why aren't you throwing the splitter?' He told me to spread my grip and throw it. He said, 'If you throw this today it's over. It's done anyway, so throw it properly once and finish.' I threw it and it broke splendidly. But my index finger wouldn't straighten. In that state I threw another fastball and the velocity dropped by 10 mph. (During rehab) my finger was numb all year. You can get through it, but I felt better and then had too few innings pitched."
After rehabbing from injury and returning in May last year, Go pitched well in Triple-A with five appearances (5 2/3 innings), one hold and a 1.59 ERA, but was notified of his release in June. In 2025 he played in rookie ball, Single-A and Triple-A, recording 32 appearances (42 1/3 innings), 2 wins, 1 loss, 3 holds, 3 saves and a 4.46 ERA.
Go said, "I wanted to try one more time. Many people thought I would return this year, many fans wanted my return, and I wanted to try one more time even before the season ended. After the season ended and the free agent period started, I was contacted by Detroit right away. They contacted me saying they were interested, so I decided without hesitation."
When he came to Korea and went to Jamsil Stadium, he honestly told the president, the director general and the manager everything. He said, in fact he wasn't dreaming of the major leagues next year. He was bothered that he had never had a proper chance. He wanted to try one more time, whether in the minor leagues or the major leagues. He said the chance of being in the minors was high, so he wanted to see if he could properly beat minor league hitters and find out the limits of his ability. The president and the director general told him, 'Do as you wish. If you really want to come back, we can talk again. Go and do it as you wish.'"
When Jung Woo-young asked, "Do you think this is the last year, hyung?" Go answered, "I think it's the last. I don't think I'll have any more opportunities in the U.S. — really." He added, "Although I'm young, I'm not considered young in the U.S."
When Jung Woo-young cheered, "I hope you reach the major leagues this year," Go replied, "I might not make it. It might not happen, I'm just doing it. You're the same, Wooyoung."
Is there a possibility of returning to LG midseason? Having posted to go to the U.S., Go must return to LG if he comes back to the KBO League. To participate in the postseason, a player must be registered by Aug. 15. A scenario in which he tries to reach the big leagues until the end of July and, if unsuccessful, returns in early August is also possible.
Go said, "Although the affiliation of the uniform I'm wearing now is different, wasn't my birthplace LG? Many fans cheer for me, and even in a different uniform they pray for my success. I will do my best to repay them appropriately; there will be images fans want of me, and I'll do my utmost to achieve them."
Finally, Go said jokingly of his resolve, "This year is the last year. In life, you have to have the mindset of, 'If it doesn't work out, I'll just die.' I'll do my best."
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