I've been waiting for three years, but what if Aces and Finishing's fatal departure, the ending of rebuilding, and I'm last for four consecutive years

Aug 11, 2025

Sportschosun DB

A.C.E, how do we fight without ending.

He said he would do something in the 2026 season and spent the past three years desperately holding out. However, there are only bad things ahead of the completion of the 'rebuilding'. Kiwoom Heroes' prospects for the 2026 season are already dark.

Kiwoom made a surprise Korean Series runner-up sensation in the 2022 season. However, the company has declared a full-scale reconstruction starting in the 2023 season. I had no choice but to. Kim Ha-sung (Tampa Bay) left for the Major League, and Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) was also injured in the 2023 season and almost went to the Major League after the end of the season. Korean ace Ahn Woo-jin had to undergo elbow surgery, and since he underwent surgery, he has been required to serve in the military as a social service worker. In the meantime, even Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) succeeded in advancing to the Major League.

Kiwoom sold key players such as Choi Won-tae (Samsung), Cho Sang-woo (KIA), and Kim Hwi-jip (NC) to collect a large number of rookie nominations. There was one reason. It was because Ahn Woo-jin and Kim Jae-woong had an internal goal to go up after three years of rebuilding in the 2026 season.

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However, it seems that everything will go up in smoke. First, Ahn Woo-jin collapsed. He was scheduled to join after completing his mandatory military service in September, but he fell while participating in a 2nd-tier training session and seriously injured his right shoulder throwing the ball and went to the operating table. It was a shocking incident. Rehabilitation alone is expected to take nearly a year. No matter how fast it is, it can return at the end of the first half of next year. We also have to see if we can return at the beginning of the second half.

There is a high-quality domestic starter named Ha Young-min, but if Ahn Woo-jin, who boasts more than a foreign player's presence, is left out, no matter how good foreign pitchers are brought, the team's strength will inevitably decrease. In terms of selection alone, if there is Ahn Woo-jin, you can expect more than the top five, but otherwise, it will have no choice but to come down the middle. If special rookie Jung Hyun-woo suddenly rises 10km in speed next year, he can't throw a huge ball.

A game between Kiwoom and Doosan at Gocheok Sky Dome on the 10th. Kiwoom closer Joo Seung-woo pitches on the mound in the top of the ninth inning. Gocheok =Reporter Song Jeong-heon@sportschosun.com/2025.08.10/

On top of that, Joo Seung-woo, who raised him 'as a player' during the rebuilding process, suffered a shocking injury. Joo Seung-woo threw a ball against the Doosan Bears on the 10th and voluntarily took a steel plate, which was a ligament damage in his elbow. The surgery date was immediately set. The recovery period for 'Tommy John Surgery' is one year. It was Joo Seung-woo, who was selected in a surprise move last year and his skills were rapidly growing, so it is as big as Ahn Woo-jin. The cause of the injury may have been a combination of problems, but it is possible that it was unreasonable to play three consecutive games during the sweep of the three consecutive games against the NC Dinos last week. He threw 16 and 14 pitches and came up in a close game on the last day, throwing as many as 34 pitches.

If other players had come up, they wouldn't know, but none of the rookie players selected from the 2023 season to this year have grown to a certain first-team starting point. Kiwoom's 2026 season became too bleak even before the start, with Ahn Woo-jin and Joo Seung-woo having a hard time. Unless something unexpected happens this year, the bottom is definitive. The pain of finishing last for three consecutive years could continue until next year.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.