Struggling pitcher tasked with sending Dinos to Korean Series

NC Dinos starter Tanner Tully pitches against the SSG Landers during Game 3 of the first round in the Korea Baseball Organization postseason at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Oct. 25. Yonhap

A win away from reaching the Korean baseball championship round for the third time in franchise history, the NC Dinos will turn to a slumping starter in their potential clinching game Thursday.

The Dinos hold a 2-0 lead over the KT Wiz in the best-of-five second round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) postseason. For Game 3, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern town of Changwon, left-hander Tanner Tully will take the ball for the Dinos.

On the brink of elimination, the Wiz will counter with sidearm pitcher Ko Young-pyo.

As a midseason replacement for Taylor Widener, Tully went 5-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 11 regular starts this year.

Tully has not been sharp in the postseason, though, having allowed 10 runs on 12 hits, including two homers, and six walks in six innings across two starts. His slider command has been off in particular.

Prior to Game 2 on Tuesday, Tully told Yonhap News Agency he didn't have any glaring mechanical issues.

"Just tough luck," Tully said. "We touched it up in the bullpen, and we'll be ready to go for the next outing and just get back on track, as we were in the regular season."

Tully set a straightforward goal for himself in Game 3.

"Go as far as I can into the game and give our team a chance to win," he said. "Go out there and be a good teammate and get the win for the boys."

In the regular season, Tully had a no-decision in his only start against the Wiz on Sept. 13, when he held them to two runs and struck out eight in six innings.

The Wiz managed only four hits against Tully in that game, with Jang Sung-woo getting two of them.

KT Wiz starter Ko Young-pyo pitches against the NC Dinos during a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 13. Yonhap

Ko enjoyed a fine regular season, going 12-7 with a career-low and team-best 2.78 ERA. Ko walked only 19 batters in 174 2/3 innings and was the only pitcher this year to average fewer than a walk per nine innings.

He will be pitching on his son's first birthday.

Ko has a 7.71 ERA in four postseason outings, though that number is inflated by a particularly rough outing last year, when he was charged with four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in a first-round game against the Kiwoom Heroes.

Ko made three appearances during the Wiz's four-game sweep of the Doosan Bears in the 2021 Korean Series and gave up two runs in 4 2/3 innings then.

In four regular season starts against the Wiz this year, he was 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA, recording 21 strikeouts against two walks in 25 1/3 innings.

Ko hardly gives up walks because he challenges hitters in the strike zone and pitches to contact. It leads to a high hit rate ― 181 in 174 2/3 innings this season.

The Dinos got 37 hits off the pitcher this year. Park Min-woo tortured Ko by batting 9-for-13, while Park Kun-woo batted 8-for-13 with three doubles. (Yonhap)