Noh Si-hwan (23, Hanwha), who became the first player to break the 30 home run mark this year and emerged as an MVP candidate, lost his grandfather ahead of the Daejeon SSG game on the 6th. Noh Si-hwan, a native of Busan, has his family in Busan. His grandfather’s funeral was also prepared in Busan. Although he could have missed the game because he was on vacation for congratulations or condolences, Noh Si-hwan expressed his intention to participate in the game to Hanwha coach Choi Won-ho.안전놀이터
Coach Choi Won-ho said about Noh Si-hwan’s participation before the game on the 6th, “I decided to go to the funeral home after today’s game and come back before tomorrow’s game. “He asked me not to leave the game,” he said. Noh Si-hwan, who was named to the lineup as the third hitter and third baseman on this day, continued his record of playing in all games by playing as a starter in all 113 games of the team this season.
Even in the sorrow of his grandfather’s death, Noh Si-hwan did not forget his professional spirit. On this day, the Hanwha team organized an event to commemorate Noh Si-hwan’s 30 home runs. When Noh Si-hwan hit 30 home runs in the game against LG in Jamsil on the 2nd, the team prepared an event with fans, but unfortunately, the grandfather statue coincided with it.
However, Noh Si-hwan personally attended the event as scheduled to keep his promise to his fans. He spent his own money on a coffee truck to commemorate the KBO July Monthly MVP award. After completing pre-game training, Noh Si-hwan personally delivered 400 cups of coffee to the fans from the coffee truck located in front of the stage outside the stadium. Although it was a sad day for me personally, I did not lose my smile in front of my fans. Fan service was provided until an hour before the game started.
Hanwha Noh Si-hwan prepared a coffee truck for fans to commemorate his 30 home runs and monthly MVP award prior to the Daejeon SSG match on the 6th. / Provided by Hanwha Eagles
Even after the game started, Noh Si-hwan’s performance continued. He walked in the first inning, hit right-center in the third inning, and hit a timely hit to left that made the score 4-3 in the fourth, knocking out SSG starter Kim Gwang-hyun. It was a three-hit game, including an infield hit on third base in the 10th overtime. The third base defense also thrilled fans with a reflex diving catch on Kim Kang-min’s bullet-like batted ball in the 7th inning.
The game continued into the 11th inning, and Hanwha won 6-5 thanks to Jeong Eun-won’s walk-off hit. The game took a whopping 4 hours and 42 minutes and ended at 11:12 p.m. After leading the team to victory, Noh Si-hwan went down to Busan, where his grandfather’s funeral was located.
Noh Si-hwan is recording a batting average of .300 (133 hits in 444 at-bats), 30 home runs, 91 RBIs, 72 runs, 63 walks, 100 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .388, a slugging percentage of .559, and an OPS of .947 in 113 games of the season so far. He emerged as an MVP candidate by ranking in the top 10 in all offensive categories excluding stolen bases, including 1st in home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, and OPS, 2nd in walks, 5th in hits and runs, and 9th in on-base percentage.
The variable is that he will be absent for about two weeks due to being selected to the baseball team for the Hangzhou Asian Games scheduled to be convened on the 22nd. It is important to accumulate as many records as possible before joining the national team, and Noh Si-hwan is also showing his will to participate without resting. Even on the day he lost his grandfather, his will did not break.