For infielder Roh Si-hwan (Hanwha), the 2023 season will go down as a special one. He finally blossomed. In his fifth year, he won the home run title. He hit 31 arches. He was born on December 3, 2000, making him the third-youngest home run king in KBO history. After Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop (1997, age 21, the youngest home run king ever) and KBO talent donor Jang Jong-hoon (1990, age 22). He also won the batting title with 101 RBIs. “From spring training, I focused on hitting long balls. I didn’t expect to win the home run title. It was a big challenge, but I’m glad it paid off,” he laughed.토토사이트

Noh was selected by Hanwha in the second round of the 2019 KBO Draft (3rd overall). He was quickly touted as the successor to Kim Tae-gyun. He showed off his skills by hitting double-digit home runs (12-18) in 2020 and 2021. It wasn’t all roses, though. Last year, he hit a rough patch. His home run total dropped to six. It was a hard number for him to accept. He made a drastic change. He pulled his hitting point forward. It wasn’t easy to make it all his own. He went silent in the middle of the season, going 43 at-bats without a hit. She didn’t waver. She stuck to her plan. She took one step at a time and blossomed.

The stage was set. He earned his first senior national team call-up. It starts at the Hangzhou Asian Games (AG). He was assigned to bat at No. 4. As one of the “Beijing Kids,” it must have felt different. There was also a lot of pressure. “When I played my first game, I realized that I had made the national team. I realized that playing baseball with the flag on my chest was a big responsibility. I didn’t realize it when I was cheering, but the seniors were more impressive,” he said. Despite his words, he was a force to be reckoned with. He was a fixer-upper, batting .438 (7-for-16). His OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) was a whopping 1.140.

Photo.

You’ve been found, national number four hitter.

It’s not over. He is at the center of a generational shift. He is likely to be a regular in the national team in the future. Noh said, “I was proud of the way we looked in the national team uniform. I felt proud. I thought a lot about preparing harder so that they can find me whenever there is an international competition. I also wanted to perform well so that my name would be remembered by many people in the country.” It was also a time to see and feel many things. “We play together in the league, but we don’t have many opportunities to share how we train,” said Noh. It was a learning experience in many ways,” he said.

The team will now head to the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC). This time, he’s in charge of the No. 4 spot. Ryu Jung-il, who took over the baton after AG, was quick to point out Noh’s name. He didn’t hide his desire for a long run. “I think we should always aim to win the tournament after wearing the Taeguk-mark. I think I can do well if I continue the trend from the AG,” he emphasized. He also expressed his excitement for the Korea-Japan match. The defending champions are strong favorites to win the tournament. “I think it’s because we don’t want to lose to each other. We want to do our best and come back with a win,” he said.