“I really don’t know anything about baseball.
I will come to the stadium thinking that tomorrow (the 6th) against China is also the final.
Noh Si-hwan (Hanwha Eagles), who led Ryu Joong-il to victory by scoring two RBIs, strengthened his resolve for the upcoming match against China.
Noh Si-hwan started as the fourth hitter and third baseman in the first game against Japan in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games Baseball Super Round held at Stadium 1 of the Shaoxing Baseball and Softball Sports Center near Hangzhou, China on the 5th.
The beginning wasn’t good. He struck out in the bottom of the 1st inning with 2 outs and runners on first base, and also struck out in the bottom of the 4th with runners on 1st and 3rd bases with no outs.
Noh Si-hwan, who was fierce, showed his presence from the bottom of the 6th inning when the two teams were tied 0-0. 토토사이트
He fired a sacrifice fly toward left field with one out and 1st and 3rd bases.
Noh Si-hwan, who gained momentum, fiercely swung the bat in the bottom of the 8th inning.
With 2 outs and 2nd base, he hit a timely hit with 1 RBI to left. The final score was 1 hit and 2 RBI in 3 at-bats.
With Noh Si-hwan’s performance and good pitching from starting pitcher Park Se-woong (6 innings, 2 hits, 9 strikeouts, no runs, 87 pitches), Korea defeated Japan 2-0.
As a result, Korea was able to revive the flame of advancing to the finals. Noh Si-hwan, whom we met after the game, said, “When I had a chance to score, I unconsciously became timid and struck out.
At that time, I thought, ‘I think I did it too timidly. I thought, ‘Let’s go to bat and be bold and do what I used to do.’
I had another chance to score in the third and fourth at-bats, and I think I got a good result because I acted confidently and boldly,” he said, looking back on the game.
The Japanese pitchers’ pitches that day were not easy.
Among them, starting pitcher Shuichiro Kayo tormented Korean batters by using fastballs with a maximum velocity of over 150km.
I think that type (like Kayo) is a bit rare. Even when he came to Korea, his pitch was good enough to be top-level.
So I think it was a difficult game,” said Noh Si-hwan, who shook his head and said, “From what (Kayo) analyzed, the ball was better than I thought.
When he went to bat, he had a good end of the ball, and I thought it was going to be a little difficult.
However, he said confidently, “Because I have to fight and overcome when I go out to bat, I tried to stay centered, and I think I got RBIs and hits because of that.”
Noh Si-hwan, who was selected by Hanwha as the third overall pick in the second first round in 2019, recorded a batting average of 0.250 (334 hits in 1,337 at-bats), 37 home runs, and 199 RBI in 420 games until last season.
In particular, this season, he showed off his skills and established himself as a leading slugger in the KBO League.
Before being selected to the national team, his performance was 126 games played, a batting average of 0.298 (147 hits in 494 at-bats), 31 home runs, 99 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.938.
Noh Si-hwan, who was recognized for his performance, was called by manager Ryu Joong-il ahead of this tournament and is working as a central hitter.
And on this day, in the important Korea-Japan match, he was responsible for both of Korea’s goals and became a major contributor to the victory.
He said, “I am more proud (than when I raised an RBI for his team).
He has a long season in the team and has the opportunity to hit a lot of runs, but he also wore the national team uniform in international competitions and played an important role in the Korea-Japan match.
(This is) my first national team, and I think it will be a memorable game,” he said with a bright smile.
At the same time, Noh Si-hwan said, “While analyzing the team’s strength, I predicted that it would be a one-point battle because the Japanese pitchers have good balls.
I thought it was going to be a tough game, but I’m glad we took the game in a tight game,” he added.
However, the sluggishness of the batting line was clearly an issue that needed to be addressed.
Korea, which did not show much destructive power even in the group stage, created many chances today, but failed to convert them into goals.
Noh Si-hwan said, “If a chance comes, it will be a burden for any hitter. “It’s such an important game, and I’m going into the game thinking that every game, every game, is the final,” he said.
Anyone who gets in the scoring zone will feel pressured, but he’s a really good hitter and good player who can overcome that pressure.
I hope the Korean players will win by overcoming the odds when they are in a scoring position,” he emphasized.
Korea, which had been uncertain about advancing to the finals after losing 0-4 to Chinese Taipei in the group stage, increased its chances of advancing to the finals with its victory today.
Article Revitalized Korea will clash with China at the same location on the 6th.
But China is by no means an easy opponent.
In the previous group match, they produced an upset by beating Japan 1-0.
Noh Si-hwan said, “I was a little surprised (that China beat Japan). Japanese pitchers were very good, and they had the reputation of being a baseball powerhouse.
I didn’t think China would win,” he said, “but I’m not letting my guard down at all.”
Just like China defeated Japan, we really don’t know anything about baseball.
Tomorrow (the 6th), we will come to the stadium thinking that the match against China is also the final. I will never take it lightly.
It will be a tough game tomorrow too.
I plan to work really hard,” he said with determination.