Ex-MLB pitcher Go Woo-suk trying to put aside regrets to help old team in KBO postseason push

Go Woo-suk of the LG Twins speaks with reporters at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap

By Yonhap

• Published Sep 3, 2026 4:42 PM KST

What's old is new again for the LG Twins, as they welcomed back their former All-Star closer Go Woo-suk this week.

Go hit free agency earlier this week after a brief stint with the Minnesota Twins in Major League Baseball (MLB) and his old club signed him for the rest of this Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season on Wednesday.

"I am happy to be back home again," Go told reporters Thursday at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. "The team treated me well with so little time left this season. I feel a huge sense of responsibility."

Go, 28, first pitched for LG from 2017 to 2023. He was their closer from 2019 and on, and recorded 139 saves to lead all KBO pitchers in that five-year stretch.

Go signed with the San Diego Padres in January 2024 but never reached MLB with them. He was traded to the Miami Marlins later that year and also spent time with the Detroit Tigers in 2025 and the early part of 2026, without ever pitching in the big leagues.

Minnesota then gave him that chance after acquiring him in a trade with the Tigers in July. Go made his MLB debut on July 9 and went on to pitch three more games for Minnesota, putting up a 9.00 ERA with four earned runs allowed in four innings on eight hits, including two home runs.

Minnesota sent him down to its Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints, in late July. Go served an eight-game suspension after being ejected from a game for having an illegal substance in his glove and never found his groove with the Saints, going 2-1 with a 12.54 ERA in eight outings.

"I pitched well in the first couple of games after the suspension but I lost my rhythm when I had too much time off between my outings," Go said. "I was trying too hard to impress, because I really wanted to get back to MLB. Then I started feeling bad physically and it affected my performance for about two weeks."

Minnesota designated Go for assignment last Friday and no MLB team claimed him off waivers. Go then exercised his right to refuse an outright assignment to the minors and elected free agency, opening the door for a reunion with LG.

Go said he would have stayed put in the United States if he had been selected off waivers. He contemplated returning to the Saints but ultimately decided to come home because of his young family.

Go's wife is expecting the couple's second child.

"Our second kid is on the way and the first one is growing so fast," he said. "My family is the biggest reason why I chose to come back."

With 26 games left this regular season, the LG Twins can use all the bullpen help they can get at this point. Since the mid-July All-Star break, their bullpen has pitched to a 6.23 ERA, the third-worst mark in the KBO and nearly a full run worse than the league average of 5.29.

Their relief corps is missing some key pieces, including You Young-chan, who succeeded Go as the closer in 2024 but suffered a season-ending elbow injury in April this year, and veteran setup man Kim Jin-sung, out since mid-August due to shoulder issues.

Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb said Tuesday that Go will be his setup man, with converted starter Son Ju-young thriving as the closer.

And because Go will not be eligible for postseason play — players must be on the active roster as of July 31 and Go missed the deadline by over a month — the Twins will stick to Son as their closer, instead of having him cede the role to Go now only to get it back in October.

Go said he is looking forward to jumping into the postseason push, with the Twins, now trailing the league-leading Samsung Lions by 5 1/2 games in third place, trying to climb up the standings.

"I will try to use every lesson I learned in America to grow further as an athlete and help the team the best I can," he said. "The gap between us as the first-place team is not insurmountable. I can repay our fans for their support by helping the team win."

Since his last outing came just last week, Go said he has "no issues physically" and will be ready to hit the ground running.

In the meantime, he is also trying to move past his regrets over not sticking around in MLB longer.

"I would be lying if I said I had no regrets. I feel like I should have been better prepared," Go said. "But I will try to turn that disappointment into something more positive the rest of this season."

Go also admitted he had underestimated the quality of play in the minor leagues.

"Before I pitched there, my perception of the minor leagues was that these were reserved for players who lacked something. But I realized I was completely wrong," Go said. "No one will ever know the level of play unless they experience it firsthand. I felt I had to work so much harder and I was disappointed with myself for falling well short of that level."

Asked if he will take another crack at MLB later in his career, Go said, "Right now, I am only thinking about how I should pitch today or tomorrow."

Go had this piece of advice for young players dreaming of playing in MLB in the future.

"The most important thing is to never forget why you wanted to reach MLB in the first place," he said. "It is a challenging journey, but as long as you never forget the reasons why you are trying to get to that point, you will be okay."