Minnesota Twins pitcher Go Woo-suk looks to the field before a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago on July 19.AP/YONHAP
Korean reliever Go Woo-suk was ejected from a Triple-A game after umpires determined that he had a foreign substance inside his glove during a pregame inspection. If the violation is confirmed, he could face a suspension under professional baseball's foreign substance rules.
Go, a right-handed reliever for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints, the Minnesota Twins' top minor league affiliate, took the mound as his team's third pitcher in the top of the seventh inning of a home game against the Columbus Clippers, the Cleveland Guardians' Triple-A affiliate, on Friday at CHS Field in St. Paul. The Saints trailed 3-2 at the time.
Before Go threw a pitch, the umpire crew inspected both of his hands and his glove under MLB's mandatory in-game pitcher inspections that were introduced in 2021 following a series of controversies involving the use of foreign substances.
After one umpire discovered what was believed to be a foreign substance inside the glove, the other umpires were called over to examine it.
Following a lengthy inspection, the umpires ejected Ko from the game and confiscated the glove.
Sticky substances such as pine tar can increase the spin rate, movement and velocity of pitches when applied to a pitcher's hand or the ball.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Go Woo-suk, left, walks with third baseman Brooks Lee, right, after the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago on July 19.AP/YONHAP
Pitchers found to have violated the rule are immediately ejected and are typically suspended for 10 games following a disciplinary review.
The local broadcast crew said that it was their first time witnessing such an incident and called it the “wildest debut for a pitcher.”
“We’re not privy to what it is, but clearly [the umpires] felt some sort of foreign substance on the inside of the glove there,” a local broadcaster said, adding, “I believe in the major leagues, it carries a 10-game suspension.”
The Minor League Baseball office has not yet announced whether Go will be disciplined after he was ejected by home plate umpire Steven Hodgins.
Go began his professional baseball career with Korea's LG Twins in 2017. He then signed with a major league organization in 2024 and spent an extended period in the minor leagues before being promoted to the Twins' major league roster on July 8.
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Go Woo-suk throws against the Chicago Cubs during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Chicago on July 19.AP/YONHAP
He made his long-awaited MLB debut against Cleveland on July 10, fulfilling his dream of pitching in the majors.
However, after allowing three runs in one inning against Cleveland on July 21, he was optioned back to the Triple-A club.
Ko has appeared in four major league games this season, posting one hold and a 9.00 ERA. In Triple-A, he has gone 3-1 with three holds, four saves and a 1.96 ERA in 27 appearances, his best performance since moving to the United States.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
