It took eight years of waiting, but NC Dinos left-handed pitcher Park Ji-han finally made his KBO debut in his hometown — an unforgettable moment he had dreamed of since joining the team.
On May 12, NC defeated the Lotte Giants 8-1 at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan in a 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League regular-season away game.
Ahead of the game, NC made roster changes, removing pitchers Son Ju-hwan and Lee Jun-hyuk, along with infielder Oh Tae-yang, and adding Park Ji-han, infielder Heo Yoon, and outfielder Park Si-won.
NC manager Lee Ho-joon explained, “We originally planned to drop one pitcher and bring up a hitter. Lee Jun-hyuk has been inconsistent with his control. Park Ji-han has been the best in the C team (second-tier), so we decided to call up the strongest player.”
Park Ji-han’s name might not be familiar to many baseball fans. A graduate of Dongil Jungang Elementary, Busan Middle, and Busan High, he was selected by NC in the 2019 KBO Draft as the 77th overall pick in the 8th round of the second round. As his draft position and signing bonus (40 million won) suggest, he wasn’t highly touted.
In his second season (2020), he pitched in 12 Futures League games, posting a 2-2 record with a 5.20 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 45 innings. But injuries and struggles followed, and his performance dipped. Last year, his ERA was 8.26.
However, his fastball velocity improved from 142 km/h at signing to 151 km/h last year. At the end of last year, he won MVP at the CAMP 1 (fall training) in Changwon. At the time, Park said, “I’ve had injuries and difficulties since joining, but now I’m healthy and can focus solely on baseball.”
This season in the Futures League, Park appeared in 15 games, recording a 1-1 record with two holds and a 5.02 ERA. In his last five outings, he didn’t allow a single run. Thanks to that, in his eighth season, he finally received the call to the first team.
After being called up, Park confessed, “I was just preparing for what I needed to do in the C team as always. When I first heard the news, I was so happy. After waiting eight years to join the first team, I felt both anticipation and excitement — especially the excitement of finally getting a chance to prove myself.”
He added, “Watching first-team games, I always thought that if I ever stood on that mound, I would compete with the batters using my own pitches. Now that I have the opportunity, I want to show the preparations I’ve made step by step, rather than just focusing on results. I want to become a pitcher that opposing batters find difficult to face.”
Park also greeted fans, saying, “I haven’t shown you anything in the first team yet, but from now on, I will prove myself with my skills and become a player who earns your support.”
His debut opportunity came sooner than expected. In the game on the 12th, NC scored three runs in the fourth inning to take the lead, and Kim Joo-won’s three-run homer in the seventh pushed the score to 8-1. Lotte rested many of its regulars in preparation for the next game, and in the ninth, Park took the mound.
Facing his first batter, Yoon Dong-hee, Park struck him out swinging on three pitches with a sharp breaking ball. He then got Kim Se-min to ground out to third, and finished the inning by inducing Son Ho-young to ground out to the infield, retiring the side in order.
Park threw just seven pitches in one inning, allowing no baserunners. His fastball topped out at 144 km/h, but his unusual delivery and sinking breaking ball were effective.
Despite the chilly 16°C temperature in Busan at the end of the game, Park was drenched in sweat as he stepped off the mound. Laughing shyly, he said, “I think I was just too nervous,” before heading to the locker room.
