Hanwha Eagles slugger Noh Si-hwan has made no secret of his desire to become the first home run king. On the day he reached the 30-homer plateau for the first time in his career, he expressed his desire to follow in the footsteps of his idol and live up to fans’ expectations.
Hanwha won the 12th game of the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League against the LG Twins 5-3 at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on April 2. The win snapped a long eight-game losing streak and marked their first win in September.
Noh Si-hwan started at third base and went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and a run scored. With Hanwha leading 1-0 in the top of the sixth inning, he blasted a two-run homer off LG right-hander Yoo Young-chan with the bases loaded for his 30th home run of the season.
After hitting one home run in 2019, his first year as a professional, Noh exploded for 12 homers in 2020 and 18 in 2021, making him one of the top right-handed hitting prospects in Hanwha and the entire league.
He was criticized for stalling a bit last year with just six home runs, but he broke out of his prospect shell this year. He took a step closer to the home run title as he widened the gap between SSG Landers Choi Jung (24 home runs) and the league’s second-place home run leader to six.
After hitting his 29th home run of the season against the KT Wiz on March 19, Noh fell into a seven-game hitting slump, but he overcame it at the start of September to become the first player in the league to reach 30 home runs this season.
After the game, Noh said, “30 home runs is a symbol of Geopo, and it feels so good to achieve it for the first time this year.” “The season is not over yet, so I want to hit more home runs first, and I will work harder to become a hitter who can consistently hit 30 home runs every year,” he said.
“In my heart, I want to hit one or two every game until I am called up to the Hangzhou Asian Games team,” he said, “but since I’ve already broken nine, I’m going to put aside my greed for home runs and just take it easy at the plate.”
Noh is now aiming to follow in the footsteps of his idol, Hanwha legend Kim Tae-gyun. He has been honored with the nickname “Post Kim Tae-gyun” since he joined the team, and in his fifth year of professional baseball, he began to live up to his reputation.메이저놀이터
Kim hit 31 home runs in 2003, his third year, and then followed it up with another 31 in 2008 to win the home run title. Hanwha hasn’t had a home run king since Kim Tae-gyun.
“It’s so nice to be called Kim Tae-gyun’s successor,” said Noh. I feel like I have to make a lot of effort to follow in his footsteps,” said Noh. “I think I have to show consistency like Kim Tae-gyun to be called his successor,” he continued.
“There hasn’t been a home run king in Hanwha for the past 14 years, so I think Hanwha fans have a thirst for big hitters, and I think I can quench it a bit if I become the home run king,” he said, adding, “I want to maintain my current pace and become the No. 1 home run hitter.”