The Hanwha Eagles, who had lost three straight games (one tie), scored nine runs against the KIA Tigers on March 23. A batting lineup that had been struggling at the plate pounded out 10 hits in six at-bats on four pitches, leading to a 9-5 victory. Neither a losing streak nor a winning streak can end. The offense is unstable and unpredictable.
All things being equal, they won comfortably. After scoring just one run in three games against the LG Twins last weekend, the offense that had scored 12 runs in its last seven games suddenly broke out.
In the first inning, they quickly scored six runs off KIA starter Sean Anderson. In the fourth, the center field lineup of Chae Eun-sung and Kim In-hwan came through, and in the fifth, Jang Jin-hyuk, Moon Hyun-bin, and Lee Do-yoon from the seventh through ninth innings took the pressure off starter Ricardo Sanchez. It was their highest-scoring game since scoring 10 runs against the Doosan Bears on May 4.
Despite the big win to end the losing streak, Noh’s struggles continued. He started at third base and went hitless in three at-bats. His two walks were the most notable.
After hitting a double to right-center in the sixth inning against the SSG Landers on May 13, he went hitless in eight consecutive games. In that span, he had 34 hits in 40 at-bats with no walks and six strikeouts.
Coincidentally, his batting fell off a cliff 12 days after Choi Won-ho took over as manager. After hitting four home runs in three games from May 10-12, he suddenly went cold.
Hanwha’s Noh Si-hwan is hitless in his last eight games. Park Jae-man 기자pjm@sportschosun.com/2023.05.12/
In the meantime, the batting order has gone up and down 2.3.4. It was supposed to be an effort to utilize the key hitters efficiently, but it ended up being confusing. The coaching staff’s intention was to encourage the slump. While the coaching staff may be the most frustrated with Noh’s slump, it’s hard to avoid blame.
At the beginning of the season, the Hanwha batting lineup only looked to Noh and Chae Eun-sung. With other batters struggling, the pressure was on the two players. Noh was hitting well in the exhibition games, but suddenly his batting pace dropped. His batting average, which was in the mid-3s, dropped to the 2.8s.
It was a predictable plateau. Even the best hitters don’t stay in top form for an entire season.
There are ups and downs in the hitting cycle, and the best hitters minimize their slumps. If you’re Noh, you’re going to rebound. It’s just a matter of when.메이저놀이터
The coaching staff, including Choi Won-ho, has the attitude that “if you leave it alone, it will come.” The players themselves
Noh Si-hwan against SSG on the 14th. He went hitless in five at-bats. Choi Moon-young 기자deer@sportschosun.com
At times, the coaching staff’s statements can come across as helpless and irresponsible. This is especially true given the timing of the manager’s arrival and Noh’s struggles.