Having been sent to the minors hours before his team's very first regular season game in Seoul, San Diego Padres South Korean pitcher Go Woo-suk said Wednesday he will keep working hard to get back in the big leagues. The Padres optioned Go to Triple-A El Paso Wednesday morning, prior to their regular season-opening game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. It will be the first Major League Baseball (MLB) game ever in South Korea. The Padres have another South Korean player, shortstop Kim Ha-seong, on their roster. It also would have been a neat homecoming for Go, who signed a two-year deal with the Padres in January after having been one of the top closers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) for the LG Twins over the past handful of years. In a conversation with Yonhap News Agency in the clubhouse, Go said he learned of his demotion Tuesday. "It's not something I hadn't thought about. I will just have to keep working hard," Go said, his voice barely audible. "I will try to make it back to the majors during this season." Go has pitched to a 12.46 ERA in five spring training games. Then in an exhibition game against the Twins on Monday, Go surrendered a two-run home run before locking down the save in a 5-4 Padres win. On Tuesday, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla told Yonhap that the team would be patient with Go because of some extenuating circumstances. Go pitched into mid-November as the Twins won the Korean Series, and had to make multiple trips between South Korea and the United States to finalize his contract. Go said he didn't want to make any excuse. "Not everyone is preparing for the season in the same situation. And we're all trying to make it to the majors," Go said. "We're all professional athletes. I should have done a better job getting ready for this season." When asked if manager Mike Shildt had any message for him, Go said, "He just told me to work hard." Source: Yonhap News Agency