An Woo-jin’s Comeback: Will He Bounce Back Against Samsung Lions After First Loss?

Daniel Kim 2026.04.19 Views

[MyDaily = Reporter Kim Jin-seong] Even a 156 km/h (96.9 mph) fastball over the plate can be hit. Still, he managed to keep his comeback build-up on track.

An Woo-jin (27, Kiwoom Heroes) took the mound on April 18 for a road start against the KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in the 2026 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League. He worked two innings, allowing two hits, one walk and one run on 28 pitches and was charged with the loss—his first of the season.

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An returned on April 12 against the Lotte Giants at Gocheok, his first appearance in 21 months. He threw 24 pitches in a scoreless inning (one hit, one strikeout, one walk). His four-seam touched 160 km/h (99.4 mph), which grabbed headlines and sparked talk he might rejoin the rotation sooner than planned. That didn’t happen.

This outing came against KT. With no physical issues reported, he stretched out to two innings. In the bottom of the first, leadoff hitter Choi Won-jun flew out to center on a first-pitch 154 km/h (95.7 mph) four-seam. He then started Kim Sang-su with two four-seamers and a slider that produced a grounder to third—except a throwing error at third allowed the runner to reach.

With one out and a runner on first, An engaged Kim Hyun-soo in a seven-pitch battle before Kim lined a single to left. On a 2-2 pitch An located his day-high 157 km/h (97.6 mph) four-seam on the outer edge, but Kim — a strong contact hitter — drove it. With runners at first and second and one out, An induced Jang Sung-woo to hit into a ground-ball double play to short on a slider to end the inning.

He came back out for the second and leaned on the curveball, especially against leadoff Sam Hilliard, who had seen only one curve in the first. On a full count, An’s eighth curve missed badly and Hilliard drew a walk. Bae Jeong-dae then hit a 153 km/h (95.0 mph) four-seam that produced a grounder to short; the defense got Hilliard at second.

But on the next batter, An’s first-pitch 156 km/h (96.9 mph) four-seamer caught too much of the plate and turned into a two-bagger to left-center that scored a run. He finished the inning by retiring Han Seung-taek on a curveball fly to center and getting Lee Kang-min on a pitcher groundout. He needed just 28 pitches through two innings, yet the outing served as a reminder: even elite velocity is hittable when it rides the middle of the plate.

Realistically, An’s next start is expected on April 24 at Gocheok against the Samsung Lions. He had been penciled in to face Won Tae-in, who returned on April 12, but Samsung’s April 17 game in Daegu was rained out, pushing Won’s second turn to April 19. An now figures to line up opposite Jack O’Rourke, who opened on the 18th. If he stays healthy, An could be on track for a three-inning outing against Samsung. The focus will be whether he can add innings without pain while maintaining his velocity, stuff and command.

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