Standing on the mound for the first time in 704 days, the opposing batters still looked imposing from above.

Barely steadying his mind, Lee Jae-hak (36, NC Dinos) successfully won his battles against the hitters and safely completed his successful return match.

Ahead of the game against the Kiwoom Heroes held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul today (Sept. 6), Lee said, "I tried not to feel the long hiatus," adding, "It was difficult because I had to manage various emotions."

Having undergone elbow ligament reconstruction surgery last year, he returned to the first-team mound in the previous day's game against Kiwoom at the same venue, pitching 4 innings with 1 hit, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and 1 run allowed.

Although he did not become the winning pitcher, he led the team to a 2-1 victory, contributing to NC's 7-game winning streak.

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

Lee said, "I wanted to contribute even a little to the team's winning streak, and I am glad it ended well as a result," adding, "I am really grateful to the bullpen pitchers who pitched so well afterwards."

The road to his comeback match was not smooth either.

Due to rainouts, his pitching schedule was delayed twice, prolonging the time of waiting.

Lee confessed, "In a situation where I was nervous and various emotions crossed my mind, it wasn't easy as my appearances kept getting canceled, but since I am in a position where I have to produce results in the given environment, I tried to think positively."

The rehabilitation tunnel was also long and rugged.

He smiled, saying, "When I first felt pain, it wasn't diagnosed for surgery, so I rehabilitated for about two months," but added, "However, my condition was so bad that I got a re-examination, and I was ultimately diagnosed for surgery. Still, I am glad to be back before the season ends."

The long hiatus even changed the veteran pitcher's mindset.

Lee calmly stated, "Having returned after resting for two years, I became the oldest player on the team, which brought a lot of a sense of responsibility and pressure," and added, "In the past, I used to torture myself because I wanted to do too well, but going through rehabilitation, I reset my mind to pitch as comfortably and leisurely as possible without feeling rushed."

(Photo: Yonhap News)