Hangzhou Asian Games baseball player Noh Si-hwan (23, Korea) struck out on three pitches against Moon Dong-joo (20, Korea), but remained confident.
“Yesterday’s practice game was not good, but I saw the ball well,” Hangzhou Asian Games baseball player Noh Si-hwan said during a training session for the Hangzhou 2022 baseball team at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on Sunday.
Noh earned a spot on the Asian Games roster after batting .298 (147-for-494) with 31 home runs, 99 RBIs and a .938 OPS in 126 games this season. It’s no wonder he’s having such a great season, leading the league in home runs, RBIs, and OPS.
However, he was silent in a practice game against Sangsung on April 26, going 0-for-3 with three 온라인카지노strikeouts. Manager Ryu Joong-il asked Noh to make sure he was hitting singles rather than trying to hit home runs. Noh said, “I think he was disappointed to see me strike out three times. I think I need to clear my mind and go into the batter’s box with the idea of hitting the center of the bat well,” he laughed.
“I saw the ball well. My bat didn’t go forward, but I just need to go out there and do well. I think it took me a little bit of time to adjust because I’ve been out of the game for a while, but in the case of (Moon) Dong-ju, the ball was good, so I was able to adjust well and go.” He went on to say that Moon only threw changeups because he was afraid of being teased if he got a hit off Noh Si-hwan, “Dong-ju didn’t throw any fastballs, only changeups. I thought he wouldn’t throw one fastball to save his life, but he threw three changeups. I didn’t see any fastballs over 150 kilometers per hour,” he joked, adding, “I’ve seen a lot of changeups, so I’m confident that I’ll be able to hit changeups well in the tournament and make good hits.”
“Of course, I gave 100% yesterday, but I felt like I was preparing for the tournament, but the pitchers’ balls were really good, so I think I’m looking forward to their performance,” he said.
Since Noh has performed so well this year, many fans want him to play for the national team. “I know a lot of people are looking forward to it. I don’t know how nervous I’ll be because it’s my first time playing for the national team, but I’ll do my best and come with the mindset of doing my best. If I focus on the game, I think I will be able to relax and have fun and do well in the competition.”
At the Asian Games, players will have to face pitchers they haven’t seen before. However, Noh said, “I honestly don’t mind facing pitchers I don’t know. Even if I face a pitcher for the first time, I tend to adapt quickly. I’m confident that strong teams like Taiwan are analyzing well, so it’s okay.”