Lee Jae-hak, successful return after 704 days... NC 7 consecutive wins

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Dae-ho Lee = The batters looking down from the mound, who returned after 704 days, were still intimidating.

Lee Jae-hak (36, NC Dinos), who managed to get his mind together, successfully won the fight with the batter and completed his return game safely.

Ahead of the Kiwoom Heroes match to be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 6th, Lee Jae-hak said, "I tried not to feel the long gap. I had a hard time controlling it because of various emotions. Thanks to this, I think it lessened the awkwardness."

After undergoing elbow ligament fusion surgery last year, he returned to the first-team mound in the match against Kiwoom held at the same venue the previous day, allowing 1 hit, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 run in 4 innings.

Even though he was not the winning pitcher, he led the team to a 2-1 victory and contributed to NC's 7th consecutive win.

With this win, 6th place NC narrowed the gap with 5th place Doosan Bears to 3.5 games.

Lee Jae-hak said, "I wanted to be of some help to the team that was on a winning streak, but I'm glad it ended well. I was really thankful that the bullpen pitchers who pitched behind me threw well."

The process before returning was also not smooth. Due to rain cancellation, the starting schedule was pushed back twice and the waiting time became longer.

Lee Jae-hak confessed, "I didn't show it out loud, but honestly, it was very difficult. It wasn't easy because the pitches kept getting canceled in a situation where I was nervous and had a lot of emotions, but I tried to think positively as it was a position where I had to produce results in a given environment."

The rehabilitation tunnel was also long and arduous. He said with a smile, "When I first got sick, it wasn't surgery, so I had to rehab for about two months. However, my condition was so bad that I was re-examined, and in the end, surgery was recommended. I wanted to return quickly, but my body didn't respond as I expected, so it was delayed. Still, I'm glad I came back before the end of the season."

The long absence even changed the veteran pitcher’s mindset.

Lee Jae-hak said calmly, "After taking a two-year hiatus, I felt a lot of responsibility and pressure as I was now the most senior member of the team. In the past, I was stressing myself out because I had to do too well, but after going through rehabilitation, I reset my mind to throw as comfortably and leisurely as possible without being chased as much as possible. I'm still in the process of constantly adapting."