Обсуждение участника:'Finishing off Australia' Noh Si-hwan "We took advantage of the atmosphere in the first inning to win against Japan"

Noh Si-hwan (right) speaks at a press conference after the APBC Australia game at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday.

Fourth baseman Noh Shi-hwan, who hit the winning run in the 10th inning against Australia in the first game of the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) qualifiers, expressed confidence in the upcoming series against Japan.

Ryu Jung-il's South Korean team won 3-2 in the 10th inning of their first APBC game against Australia on Saturday at the Tokyo Dome in Japan, thanks to a walk-off single by Noh Shi-hwan that broke a 2-2 tie.

On the day, Korea failed to score multiple times due to a lack of cohesion despite banging out eight hits. In particular, the highly anticipated top of the order of Kim Hye-sung, Choi Ji-hoon, and Yoon Dong-hee all failed to get on base, leaving them with few scoring opportunities.

In the midst of this, Noh Si-hwan's performance shone.

After reaching base in his first at-bat in the first inning, Noh singled to center field in his second at-bat in the third inning.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the bases loaded, he hit a double to left field. In the bottom of the seventh, Noh reached on an error by the third baseman after a 10-pitch at-bat.

Then, with runners on first and second in the bottom of the 10th inning in extra innings, he roared an RBI single to left field.

Noh Si-hwan celebrates after hitting the game-winning hit with runners on first and second in the 10th inning of the baseball game between South Korea and Australia at the 2023 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan, Saturday afternoon.

In the postgame press conference, Noh said, "The Australian pitchers' pitches were good, so I thought I would swing at the first pitch. Before I stepped into the batter's box, the coach told me to be ready to hit quickly, so I was prepared."

"It was true that our batting lineup didn't work throughout the game. It was frustrating for the players because we didn't know the type of pitchers or their style," he said. "But the pitchers didn't give up until the end and threw well, and (Kim) Joo-won's game-winning hit in the eighth inning prevented us from losing."

After failing to hit a home run at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, Noh was eager to hit his first home run under the Korean flag, but he had to settle for a double in the first game.

He said, "It's not easy to hit a home run in an international tournament. For now, I'll focus on getting runners in scoring position," he said, adding, "I don't really think about home runs because they can come when you focus on making contact.

South Korea will now face Japan in game two on Sunday. The Japanese team, which is loaded with young prospects, is one of the strongest in the tournament. However, Noh is determined to give them a run for their money.

"Today's win really improved the team's mood. The Japanese pitchers have good control and excellent pitches. "But I have to do my job well at the plate no matter who I'm facing. I will do my best to overcome them." 슬롯