Baseball is focused on Gocheok!' Ahn Woo-jin will start for the first time in 955 days → face Park Se-woong, the 'glass ace.'

*This content was translated by AI.

He, who dominated the KBO League mound, will return. Kiwoom Heroes right-hander "Ace" Ahn Woo-jin (27) will finally stand on the mound of Gocheok Sky Dome, his home stadium, after a long absence of military service and injuries. In particular, baseball fans' expectations are at their peak as the starting showdown with Lotte Giants' "glass ace" Park Se-woong (31).

Kiwoom officially announced Ahn Woo-jin as the starting pitcher for the Lotte Giants match at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 12th. It is the first start in 955 days since the match against Incheon SSG Landers on August 31, 2023. In terms of the home game at Gocheok Dome, it has been 966 days since the Gocheok Lotte match on August 19. Coincidentally, Ahn Woo-jin's last home game start was against Lotte. At that time, Ahn Woo-jin became the winning pitcher with four hits, three strikeouts, three walks and two runs in six innings.

Ahn Woo-jin, who was diagnosed with ruptured elbow medial ligament in September 2023, joined the military as a social service worker in December of that year after undergoing surgery. In addition, he was out of the team's power for nearly two seasons due to a shoulder injury that came ahead of the cancellation of the call-up. Originally, it was expected to return from June to July 2026, but it returned to fans early due to a faster-than-expected recovery.

Ahn Woo-jin recently proved his perfect physical condition through bullpen pitching and live pitching. Kiwoom coach Seol Jong-jin (53) said, "As a result of doing the live, my condition was very good, and most of all, it was encouraging that I had no pain. "I was diagnosed with no difficulty in the hospital, so I decided to return after scheduling it," he explained.

However, the number of pitches is strictly limited considering the long absence. Ahn Woo-jin will play only one inning, and the maximum number of pitches will be limited to 30 pitches. After Ahn Woo-jin pitched one inning, another right-handed starting resource Bae Dong-hyun (28) is expected to take over the mound. Although he does not throw for a long time, it is of great interest to see how Ahn Woo-jin, a former top starting pitcher in the KBO League, will perform on the mound in a break of nearly 1,000 days.

Ahn Woo-jin's starting opponent is Park Se-woong, a former national team pitcher. Park Se-woong, who wore a Lotte uniform through a trade from KT Wiz in 2015, is a pitcher who has held the Giants' starting position for more than a decade. Park Se-woong, who has 79 wins in his entire career, has yet to record a win this season, but he has not lost in the previous two games and posted a not bad stat with a 2.70 ERA.

All eyes of the baseball world are now on Gocheok. Fans' hearts are already heating up whether Ahn Woo-jin, who will stand on the mound again after a long 955-day tunnel, will be able to recreate the overwhelming pitching of the past, or whether seasoned Park Se-woong will show the dignity of the "glass ace" and lead Lotte to victory.

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*This content was translated by AI.