Hanwha Eagles infielder Noh Si-hwan has deep relationship with Lotte Giants’ legendary Lee Dae-ho. When he was a student at Suyeong Elementary School and Kyungnam High School, he used a pitching machine donated by Lee Dae-ho to train batting. Lee Dae-ho was Noh’s 18-year senior at Suyeong Elementary School and Kyungnam High School. “When I was batting, I thought of Lee Dae-ho. I wanted to become a good baseball player like him,” Noh said.
In his fifth year of high school, he hit 31 home runs and scored 101 RBIs. At the age of 23, he became the home run and RBI king just like his senior. Lee Dae-ho, who joined the team as a pitcher and turned into a fielder, received the Golden Glove as a third baseman in 2010. Last year, Noh, like his senior, embraced “golden gloves” as a third baseman in 17 years since Lee Bum-ho in 2006.
When I was a student at Keangnam High School, a prestigious baseball club, my seniors often visited my alma mater. Watching them, my juniors dreamed of becoming a professional baseball player. One of the special seniors Roh remembers is Shin Bon-ki (35). He has been working for KT for seven years, having passed through Keangnam Middle and Keangnam High School, followed by his affiliated team Lotte.
Roh recalled, “Shin brought the bat that he was using in the professional league. High school players gave me good bat that I couldn’t dare. Everyone wanted to take the bat.”
Roh Si-hwan’s annual salary was 130 million won (122,000 dollars) last year, and he spent 15 percent of his annual salary on his alma mater. “This is the alma mater that made me who I am today. I asked what equipment I needed for elementary, middle, and high schools in advance and decided on the items,” he said. At Suyeong Elementary School, he gave winter clothes and baseball gear, and bat with his initials to Gyeongnam Middle and Gyeongnam High School.
“I delivered the bat that I actually used during last year’s game, the brand bat that I am using. When I was a student, I wanted to make my juniors feel happy when I received the bat that they gave me,” Noh said. “I wanted to do something that would help my juniors, but I achieved it by being the home run RBI king. It’s not a one-time event, but I plan to visit my alma mater constantly every year. I want to be a bigger help by being better at baseball,” he said. 실시간 바카라사이트
He joined the team through the second round and first round designation in 2019. He thus had his best season last year. He played in 131 games and posted a batting average of 298 percent (153 hits in 514 times at bat), 31 homers, 101 RBIs, and OPS (on-base plus slugging) 0.929. He added new energy to the home run race led by veterans in their mid-30s. Roh Si-hwan is the first home run king in his 20s to be born in seven years. It is the first time in 24 years that a home run king under the age of 23 has appeared.
He led the team to victory at the Hangzhou Asian Games as the fourth batter and also represented the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC). It was like a present delivered to Korean baseball in 2023. Roh is preparing for the next season in his hometown of Busan. He will start his spring camp in Australia this month.