Dae-Sung Koo
Pitchers at the plate and on the base paths are all but extinct. That’s what makes this moment extra special — even if it was always unique.
There was a time in which even the best left-handed major leaguers found excuses to avoid facing Randy Johnson. Dae-Sung Koo, though, had no fear. Or he didn’t know any better. Whatever the reason, the 35-year-old relief pitcher stepped into the batters’ box from the left side.
The late Tim McCarver on the FOX broadcast said what everyone was thinking: “This is the biggest give-up at-bat.”
An instant after those words were stated, Koo connected. Not just contact, but to deep center field. It went out of the reach of Bernie Williams, landed on the warning track, and bounced off the wall. Koo ended up with a double to the incredible joy of David Wright, among others. Doug Mientkiewicz covered his amusement with a towel. Mike Piazza, realized his wallet was a bit lighter after he told Wright before the swing that he’d donate to charity if Koo managed to get a hit.
Some 55,800 at Shea Stadium and those in the dugouts had witnessed a miracle. But another miracle was in store. José Reyes bunted, seemingly to advance Koo 90 feet. With Yankees’ catcher Jorge Posada lingering from the plate, Koo (wearing a jacket and still having a weighted ball in his pocket, which only adds to the zaniness quotient) broke for home.
Showing baserunning intrepidness not seen in ages, he dove head-first to try and avoid Posada’s tag. Did Posada get him in time? Umpire Chuck Meriwether said no. That’s all that matters.
“I think he made the right call,” Koo said. “If he said ‘Safe,’ then I’m safe.”
Words don’t do it justice. It must be seen to be believed. Even if you’ve seen it, and still don’t believe it, you’ll certainly want to see it again.
It’s significant when any lefty got a hit off Johnson, much less a pitcher.
According to a 2020 article from MLB.com, there were 534 plate appearances by pitchers against Johnson in his career — 261 of them ended in strikeouts. Only 11 ended in an extra-base hit. Koo was one of only two left-handed swinging pitchers ever to double off the Hall-of-Fame pitcher.
The improbability level goes up exponentially when you factor in the baserunning. Rarely do you see any runner scoring from second on a bunt without the help of an error. That same MLB.com article cited 4,915 successful sacrifice bunts with a man on second from 2000-19. Just six times did that runner score without an error. And none were pitchers.
Koo’s Mets career, and his major league career for that matter, lasted just one season. He made 33 appearances with a 3.91 ERA. But with all due respect, those pitching numbers are otherwise irrelevant. What he did on May 21, 2005, made him an instant Mets legend.
