After 981 Days: How Kiwoom Heroes’ Ahn Woo-jin Made a Stunning Comeback in 2026 KBO

Translation result ▲ Ahn Woo-jin ⓒKiwoom Heroes

[SPOTV News=Gocheok, Reporter Park Seung-hwan] “You’re not planning anything strange, are you?”

Kiwoom Heroes starter Ahn Woo-jin took the mound at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on May 2, 2026, in the fourth matchup of the season against the Doosan Bears. He tossed five innings, threw 67 pitches, allowed three hits, issued no walks, struck out five and surrendered two runs (one earned). The outing earned him his first win in 981 days.

Ahn, who missed time last year with an unexpected injury, only returned to the club’s top roster this season. He began a rare rehab stint with the first team on April 12 against the Lotte Giants, throwing a scoreless inning. He followed that with two innings and one run (one earned) on April 18 versus the KT Wiz and three innings and one run (one earned) on April 24 against the Samsung Lions, building back toward full strength.

The plan for his fourth outing called for four innings, but the staff decided further incremental work wasn’t necessary. Ahn skipped the planned four-inning appearance and boldly went for five. The team retained the option to pull him early if his pitch count climbed, but a clean performance could put him in line for his first win.

Ahn was efficient early. In the first inning he induced groundouts from Park Chan-ho and Daz Cameron, then struck out Park Joon-soon on his fastest offering of the day — a 158 km/h fastball (98.2 mph) — to complete the 1-2-3 frame. He gave up a leadoff single to Yang Eui-ji in the second but stayed composed, and in the third he retired Oh Myung-jin, Jung Soo-bin and Park Chan-ho on flyouts.

▲ 안우진 ⓒ키움 히어로즈 ▲ 안우진 ⓒ키움 히어로즈

The first damage came in the fourth. He induced a grounder from Cameron, but an error by Ahn Chi-hong extended the inning. Park Joon-soon followed with a hit, and Yang Eui-ji delivered a two-run, go-ahead double. Ahn wobbled briefly but rebounded, striking out Kim Min-seok, Ahn Jae-seok and Yang Seok-hwan to limit the inning’s fallout. He returned for the fifth and retired Oh Myung-jin, Jung Soo-bin and Park Chan-ho to finish his outing.

Kiwoom’s offense answered, and the Heroes won 4-2. The victory marked Ahn’s first since Aug. 25, 2023, when he beat the Samsung Lions in Daegu — a span of 981 days.

The dugout, however, was unusually quiet after the game. Ahn debuted in 2018 and owns 43 first-team wins, and one might have expected a raucous celebration for an ace getting his first win in nearly three years. No such scene materialized while Ahn was doing his broadcast interview, and he met reporters without a postgame celebration.

Asked whether teammates had skipped the traditional water-dousing, Ahn smiled and said he had told them not to do it because he doesn’t like getting sprayed. He recalled Seok-ju Oh asking, “Should we spray water?” and added he told him not to. He even scanned the bench and quipped, “Are you guys preparing something right now?”

▲ 안우진 ⓒ키움 히어로즈 ▲ Ahn Woo-jin

Reflecting on his outing, Ahn said his last three appearances hadn’t felt like his usual rhythm. “People said my Lotte outing looked good, but it didn’t feel like the old me,” he said. Between starts he worked with the analytics staff and coaches, and he made a small adjustment — opening his left foot slightly — which helped him find comfort on the mound. “Today felt the closest to how I used to pitch, so I’m relieved,” he said.

His game plan was simple: minimize damage and throw the pitches he wanted. Some results were better than others; the run he allowed came on a pitch that drifted toward the middle. “That’s part of getting game shape back,” he said. He even told catcher Kim Geon-hee that if he planned to call an inside sign, he wanted him to move in a bit. Aside from that, he had few regrets.

Ahn also thanked the younger hitters who drove in the runs. Trailing 1-2, recently promoted Kwon Hyuk-bin and Yang Hyun-jong delivered timely hits that swung the game. “I went five innings and allowed two runs, but the win also owed a lot to the bullpen,” Ahn said, smiling. “I want to credit them.”