“In my heart of hearts, I want him to play until the 21st.”
That’s what Hanwha Eagles coach Choi Won-ho wants. He’s referring to Noh Si-hwan, 23, who was named to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games team and will be called up on Feb. 22.
Noh hit his 30th home run of the season on April 2 against the LG Twins in Jamsil. It was one more step toward becoming a home run king, and it was also a cannonball that ended Hanwha’s eight-game losing streak.
This is the big gun Hanhwa dreamed of. He is the sixth player in KBO history to hit 30 home runs among players under the age of 23. Noh has developed into a big bat that Hanwha can entrust with its future.
Only Jang Jong-hoon (three times, 1990-1992) and Kim Tae-gyun (one time, 2008) are the only other Hanwha batters to hit 30 home runs. The last player to hit 30 home runs for Hanwha was Lee Sung-yeol in 2018 (34 for KT).
That makes it all the more difficult for Choi Won-ho to let Noh go. “Why don’t you hit a few more,” he said when we met before the game against LG on March 3, “I think hitting 30 homers would have relieved the pressure. I want to let him play as much as possible before he is called up to the national team. It’s good for both the team and the player.”
Based on his performance this season, Noh earned the Taeguk mark. Noh is batting .299 with 30 home runs, 90 RBIs and a .563 on-base percentage, leading the team in all three categories. He will challenge for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award with the three titles.안전놀이터
In a recent poll conducted by Star News on the occasion of its 19th anniversary, 50 players, five from each team, were polled, and Noh received 18 votes, making him the second favorite for MVP after Eric Pedi (NC-18).
The MVP is voted on by a panel of journalists, but a possible deciding factor was Pedi’s seven-run outing against KIA on March 31, which raised his ERA from 1.39 to 2.39, leaving Raul Alcantara (Doosan – 2.25) atop the league standings.
In the third game, Noh Si-hwan gave his team back-to-back wins with a two-run double off the Jamsil Stadium wall in the second inning. It was a performance that brought a smile to Choi Won-ho’s face and made him want to use him for one more day.