I guarantee you, in three years, we will have the most international players on our team.”
Hanwha captain Jung Woo-ram said at the KBO media day in March. Hanwha was the only one of the 10 clubs to fail to produce a World Baseball Classic (WBC) representative. It was a sobering reality for a team that finished last for three years in a row, but Jung said, “We have a lot of players who will go to the Asian Games. There’s a rookie who will be the No. 1 overall pick (in 2024)…” and named a number of juniors.
The candidates he mentioned, infielder Noh Si-hwan (23) and pitcher Moon Dong-ju (20), were included in the final 24-man roster for the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. There was a rule that each team had to have at least one player selected, but Hanwha had two. Jang Hyun-seok (19-Yongmago), who was the only amateur player selected, is also expected to be selected by Hanwha, which has the first overall pick, making it effectively three.
Speaking to the media before the final roster announcement on September 9 against LG, Noh said, “This is the first time I’ve worn the Taeguk mark in the pros. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid, so I’m really looking forward to it. I will 메이저사이트 take responsibility.” He added, “I’m not only representing my country, but also the Hanwha Eagles. “Personally, I was a little embarrassed and angry that we didn’t have any players at the WBC. With Dong-ju, it will be an opportunity to show that Hanwha has players like him.”
“I didn’t have much to show back then,” said Moon, who was considered one of the favorites to make the WBC roster. Even now, I don’t have much to show, but I’m confident in my ball now. I just need to prepare better,” he said, adding, “It’s good to be going with Shihwan. I will do my best to follow him.”
Neither player had an easy path to the national team. From the start of April to mid-May, Noh was among the league’s top hitting producers, but suddenly went hitless in 43 consecutive at-bats. Moon Dong-ju also had a strong start in April, but struggled in the final three games of May, failing to go over five hits in a row.
“At the beginning of the season, I didn’t think about the national team at all. Even after the season started, I tried to focus on the team as much as possible, but as the date (for the national team announcement) approached, I started to think about it a little bit. I thought I showed as much as I could from the beginning of the season, but I felt sorry for the team (during his 43-hit streak) and thought it would affect the Asian Games.”
Moon Dong-ju also said, “I wasn’t thinking much about the national team because I had a bad May, but I was pitching well (since June), so it feels good to be selected. I think I was able to do well because I had a good season. “It’s a great opportunity to be with the seniors on the other team, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them and learning a lot, rather than just learning one thing.”
The two players are expected to improve their performance in the rest of the season now that they have been selected to the national team. Hanwha head coach Choi Won-ho said, “It will feel good. I’m sure they couldn’t help but think about the national team. They both had some bad periods. From now on, they will be able to do it a little more comfortably.”
Noh, who went 2-for-5 with a multi-hit game against LG, scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning on a wild pitch by pitcher Ko Woo-seok with runners on second and third. He also made a shrewd play at third base in the sixth inning, catching Park Dong-won’s hard-hit line drive short and throwing out the runner at third for the rundown.
