Noh Si-hwan (24), fourth baseman for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization, broke his 18-game home run drought with a grand slam. His big swing before the home run was a good sign.
Noh hit the game-winning grand slam in the third inning of the SSG against Daejeon on March 30, leading Hanwha to an 8-2 comeback victory. At third base, he also recorded six ground ball outs, including a double play, to help Ryu reach 100 wins in the KBO on both offense and defense.
Prior to that game, Noh was batting just 2-for-5 (29-for-116) with five home runs, 22 RBIs and a .768 OPS in 30 games this season. It was disappointing because he led the league in home runs (31) last year, so expectations were high. He was silent for 18 consecutive games without a home run from July 7 against Gochuk Kiwoom to July 28 against Doosan in Daejeon.
The team's poor performance caused Noh's stress to reach its peak. “I don't know how to hit,” he told captain Chae Eun-sung during a game. “I also experienced this when I was younger, and the year after a good performance was especially difficult. Expectations have grown, and the hardest thing is to fulfill them,” Chae said, “But this is also a good experience. He's still young, and he has a bright future ahead of him.”
Noh's bat finally awakened on the 30th against SSG. 카지노사이트 He flied out to center field in the first inning against SSG's left-handed starter Lee Ki-soon, but the big blow came in the bottom of the third inning. On a two-ball favorable count, he swung hard at a three-pitch slider low and away from his body, his right knee touching the ground, but he knew something was up.
The very next pitch was another slider on a similar trajectory, but this time it didn't drop as low as the previous one and was right on Noh's full swing. The ball stretched out in front of the hitting point and cleared the left-field fence. After the big swing, Noh lost his center of gravity and fell to his right knee.
His whole body tumbled backwards, and he used his right hand to hold on to the ground. A 115-meter home run, his seventh of the season. On the 24th, Noh's first home run in 19 games broke the logjam. After the pitch went over the fence, Noh roared toward the first base dugout, and his cool bat flip heated up the Hanwha Life Eagle Park. It was the final hit of the game, a two-run home run that changed the score to 4-2.
After the game, Noh said, “From the time I trained, I planned every at-bat with the idea of hitting the ball in front of the plate so that the timing wouldn't be late,” adding, “I was aiming for a fastball (in the third inning), but a changeup came and I swung wildly. But it wasn't a bad swing. It was a well-timed swing. I was confident with the changeup, but the same pitch came in on the same course and it turned into a good hit,” he explained.
Roh is known for his good mental attitude, but the long home run drought has left him feeling vulnerable. “I didn't have a good pace early on, so I got a little bit intimidated. I tried to check the ball more and hit it, so my hitting point went backwards. Today, I thought I would try to hit it in front even if it meant striking out four times,” he said. “I always have confidence, but my record is not good. My confidence has dropped a lot lately, and I need to overcome that to become a good player. I will try to do well from May,” he said.
On this day, Roh Si-hwan was also perfect at third base defense. In the second inning, he was knocked off-center by Lee Ji-young's slow ground ball, but he managed to make an accurate throw to first base for the out. In the fourth inning, with runners on first and second, she backhanded a grounder down the third base line by Choi Ji-hoon, lost her balance and fell, but threw herself to touch third base to end the inning. In the fifth inning, with runners on first and second, he caught Guillermo Heredia's grounder to third base, quickly stepped on third base and made a clothesline throw to first base to end the inning with a one-hitter.
“I'm always confident in my defense, but today, (Ryu) Hyun-jin was about to get his 100th win, and I thought I could only do it with the help of the hitters,” Noh said. “Hyun-jin missed the 100-win mark a few games ago, and I thought it would be nice to do it today in front of a full house at home, so I worked harder, and I'm glad it turned out well.” “He was happier when I played good defense than when I hit a home run, and he said something nice about it. I think you should buy me some beef.” He smiled broadly.
Ryu Hyun-jin said, “Of course I'm grateful,” but he also said, “If he's as good as Roh Si-hwan, he should do that much. There are many things I haven't shown so far,” and looked forward to his future performance. “I had a disappointing performance in April, but I think I will definitely improve in May,” Noh said.
