A 30-homer hitter. That one phrase alone doesn’t describe Noh Si-hwan (22-Hanwha Eagles) in 2023.
Noh is batting .302 with 30 home runs and 96 RBIs this season (through 13 games). That’s good, but it’s not perfect. That’s why he’s a favorite to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, but he’s behind foreign pitcher Eric Peddy (NC Dinos).메이저사이트
Noh’s performance is somewhat disappointing due to his ups and downs during the season. After a hot start to the season, home runs were scarce in April. In May, he went 43 at-bats without a home run. After that, it was a series of ups and downs. After hitting 29 home runs on August 19, he went two weeks without a home run, and then hit his 30th home run of the season on August 2, but then went more than 10 days without a home run again.
Ups and downs are evidence of growth. This year (544 at-bats) is the first time since his debut in 2019 that Noh has had more than 500 at-bats. Each year has been punctuated by slumps and injuries. This is the first time he has fully experienced how to maintain and revive a good pace over the course of a season.
To celebrate Noh’s 30-homer milestone, Hanwha released a video interview with him. The video covers the process of reaching 30 home runs, but the key point is the 43-hit streak. “This season, I pushed through what I could, and I thought, ‘One day, it will come together,'” Noh told the magazine. “If I had changed my batting form at that time, I might have broken the streak sooner. But even after it was broken, the bad hitting feeling would have lasted for a long time.”
KBSN sports commentator Kim Tae-gyun supported the junior, saying, “When there is a slump, (players) often try to make changes because they feel like, ‘Oh, something is wrong with my form. That’s why many players get more broken. And then the season ends in that broken state, and they repeat it year after year. There were many players who were good but remained mediocre.”
On May 24, Noh broke his no-hit streak by hitting a home run off Jung Hae-young in the bottom of the ninth inning against the KIA Tigers. “My coaches helped me the most (in breaking out of the slump),” he said. I was getting stronger on my own, but I think the support around me made me a little stronger.”
Hardening is a work in progress. Even without a home run, Noh is doing his job. In his last 10 games without a home run, Noh is batting .349. He has 10 doubles and 10 RBIs. The team has also won six straight games. This season is giving him valuable experience.