"I really wanted to go out". The national flag at the age of retirement! Will 42-year-old Noh Kyung become another "people's slave" instead of concession? [Saipan Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

Noh Kyung-eun (42, SSG Landers) is a mysterious pitcher. After his first heyday, he had ups and downs, but after overcoming the pain of his release, he reached another heyday. Then, at the age of 42, I put on the national flag again.

A heavy task was undertaken. In November last year, the national team's mound consisting of young pitchers allowed 21 walks in two games against Japan, and manager Ryu Ji-hyun (55) called in experienced "highest hold king" Noh Kyung-eun in a surprise move.

He made himself more completely than anyone else and headed to Saipan, where the first camp was held. With Ko Woo-seok (Detroit), who finished the season early, he was the first to finish bullpen pitching. With a unique sense of mission, he is preparing for the World Baseball Classic (WBC).

have an extraordinary determination. It was an unexpected selection, but I am very determined to do it. Noh Kyung-eun said, "Honestly, I wasn't even thinking about it. He said, "I think you included me like this because you liked it so much," and added, "I really wanted to go out, but I wanted to take a step back from the perspective of giving my juniors experience and opportunity rather than me. But I think it's hard for me to judge that. I'm comfortable with doing what I'm told to do," he said.

The national team previously suffered three consecutive group stage failures. Professional baseball has created a craze for 12 million spectators, and to repay this, he headed to the first camp with a clear goal that he must pass the first round this time. This off-season training is an unusual camp to help you improve your physical condition faster ahead of the competition.

Noh Kyung-eun raised her pace faster than anyone else. On the 12th, he was already in the bullpen with Ko Woo-seok and threw 26 pitches. "I'm going to do that because it's a routine I've been doing every year to raise and maintain the pace earlier than others, drop it once, and then set it back to 100% according to the competition," he said. "In Saipan off-season training, my goal is to raise it to 80% to 90% and then go to my team's off-season training to meet 100%."

After joining the professional league in 2003, it took a long time to transform into a top-class starting pitcher in the league in 2012. Noh Kyung-eun, who was active with 12 wins and 6 losses and an ERA of 2.53 at the time, participated in the 2013 WBC the following year, but she was somewhat disappointed by shaking in the match against the Netherlands. ERA 3.00 in three games and three innings.

To Noh Kyung-eun, who briefly looked back at the time, saying, "It was a good experience," the national team thought it was the first and last time.

However, Noh Kyung-eun, who held out SSG's hand after being released from the Lotte Giants in 2021, won double-digit wins again in as many as nine years between starters and bullpens and spent three consecutive seasons with more than 30 holds since 2023. In 2024 and last year, he also achieved the record of 'highest hold king' for two consecutive years.

This is why head coach Ryu Ji-hyun had no choice but to think of Noh Kyung-eun's name first when he suffered in the warm-up match. Moreover, Noh Kyung-eun is known as a pitcher who outperforms anyone in his ability to overcome the crisis with a low hit rate of 0.200 and 0.236 in scoring areas with runners this season.

Manager Ryu Ji-hyun also cited Noh Kyung-eun as a pitcher who is likely to take the mound in a crisis situation at WBC. He can play the same role as Chung Hyeon-wook (retired), who was nicknamed "national slave" after being called to the mound from time to time when he was the runner-up at the 2009 tournament. He said, "It's a very burdensome position," but added, "But I have to prepare for that and I think I have to think a lot about the situation and practice when there is a runner in the set position."

It is highly likely that he will be on the WBC stage of his dream for the first time in 13 years. Noh Kyung-eun said, "We have to do our best in the position and play a good role in putting out the fire without losing a point somehow," adding, "We have to make our bodies well, so we will prepare well and come back to you in a good way."

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*This content was translated by AI.