I recalled the day that manager Lee Seung-yup achieved his first victory as a coach. The game was heading into extra innings again, and when Choi Ji-kang firmly shut down the top of the 11th inning, a miraculous walk-off occurred in the next inning. It was truly heartwarming to see the success story of the returning prospect.

Doosan Bears right-handed setup pitcher Choi Ji-kang has a memory of coming in as a reliever during the season opener on April 1 against the Lotte Giants at Jamsil, pitching two-thirds of an inning with one strikeout and no runs to earn the win.

Choi Ji-kang took the mound with one out and runners on first and second in the top of the 11th, trailing 9-10, striking out Han Dong-hee with a swing and getting Ko Seung-min to fly out to center field to escape the jam. Then, in the bottom of the 11th, Jose Rojas hit a walk-off three-run homer leading to an emotional first win of his debut. This was also the moment he earned the historic title of the first winning pitcher for Doosan under manager Lee Seung-yup.

About two years passed, and a similar situation unfolded again, with Choi Ji-kang taking the mound and fully unleashing the spirit of a victory fairy.

On the 8th, Choi Ji-kang came in relief during the first matchup against the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Stadium that was part of the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League, pitching one inning with one strikeout and no runs for his first win of the season. It was a valuable relief victory that supported the team's 6-5 walk-off win.

Before the game, Choi Ji-kang, registered on the 1st team roster, took the mound in the top of the 11th inning with the game tied at 5-5. This was his first appearance in the 1st team in 210 days since the match against the Kiwoom Heroes on September 10 of last year.

Choi Ji-kang sent the leadoff hitter, Shim Woo-jun, back to the dugout with a swinging strikeout after a seven-pitch battle using a 149 km two-seam fastball. He then retired Hwang Young-muk with a flyout to left field and Estevan Florial with a flyout to center field, completing a perfect inning with just 13 pitches.

Doosan had bases loaded after one out in the bottom of the 11th with consecutive hits by Oh Myeong-jin and Jo Su-haeng and a walk by Jeong Soo-bin. Although Choo Jae-hyun flew out to third base, Kim Gi-yeon hit a walk-off single that went over the second baseman against Hanwha's Lee Sang-kyu, bringing a conclusion to the long contest. This was the moment Choi Ji-kang achieved his first win of the season as a relief pitcher.

After the game, Choi Ji-kang shared, "It was nerve-wracking as it was my first appearance in six months, but I think I did well. Since I started off well, all that is left is to show better performances moving forward." He noted, "I focused on adjusting my pitching mechanics over the winter. Thanks to that, I think I got good results. I was also satisfied with my overall command, including my breaking balls."

Choi Ji-kang, hailing from Gwangju Dongseong High School and Gangneung Yeongdong University, overcame the pain of going undrafted in two rookie drafts and joined the Doosan organization as a developmental player in 2022. He gained experience through various trials in the 1st team during his first year and the following year, and finally jumped into the setup role for manager Lee Seung-yup's team in 2024, performing well with a record of three wins, one loss, one save, and 15 holds with a 3.24 earned run average (50 innings, 18 earned runs) over 55 games. Despite taking a month off due to shoulder pain in mid-July, he ranked second in holds and fifth in innings among the team's bullpen pitchers.

However, Choi Ji-kang did not end the season beautifully after a season marked by inconsistency. The impact of his first full-time debut saw his monthly earned run average soar to 9.82 in September, leading to a failure to join the wild-card decision roster and finishing the season with disappointment. Choi Ji-kang chose to focus on recovery and opted not to participate in the offseason instructional league or the end-of-season camp, taking a step back for a two-step forward. He even headed to the second team for spring camp, focusing on preventing re-injury and gradually adjusting his pace.

Choi Ji-kang candidly shared, "I felt sorry for not being with the team since the start of the season," adding, "My fellow pitchers held up well while I was away. I thought, 'I need to recover quickly and get back in,' and I'm happy to contribute from the first game."

Choi Ji-kang's goal for this season, having returned healthily, is to complete the season. He wants to maintain his health and protect the team's backline throughout the year. He stated, "I missed the roster twice last year. I had to watch the team's postseason elimination from Icheon. This year, I'm simply thinking about completing the season without such issues."

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