"Emergency appearance → 2 innings deleted," said 42-year-old Noh Kyung, "I had to put more Noh Kyung-eun than pressure.→It is an honor to return the public's support."

*This content was translated by AI.

While he confirmed his dramatic advance to the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in Tokyo for the first time in 17 years, Noh Kyung-eun (42), a national bullpen pitcher who showed his "fighting spirit for forgetting his age" on the mound, expressed his feelings about winning.

The Korean baseball team, led by head coach Ryu Ji-hyun (55), beat Australia 7-2 in the fourth Group C match of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) at Tokyo Dome, Japan, at 7 p.m. on the 9th.

In fact, the number of cases in which Korea advanced to the quarterfinals ahead of the game was harsh. In addition to having to catch Australia, he had to meet the tricky conditions of "less than two runs" and "winning by more than five points" at the same time after complex gains and losses calculations.

On this day, Noh Kyung-eun rushed to the mound following left-hander Son Joo-young, who went down due to sudden elbow discomfort. Despite taking the mound in an urgent situation, he pitched two innings of one hit, one strikeout, and no run. As a result, Noh Kyung-eun showed a sense of stability without losing a point in both games in which he took the mound, showing off his old age.

In an interview right after the game, Noh Kyung-eun explained the urgent situation at the time, saying, "Coach Kim Kwang-sam knew well that my arms were loosening quickly, and I also volunteered to go out."

Noh Kyung-eun then added about the preparation process, saying, "I was instructed to be ready even before the game," adding, "I also jokingly encouraged (Son) Joo-young, who was on the mound together, to throw comfortably because I was behind him."

As for the burden of being the oldest pitcher in the national team as well as the entire WBC pitcher, he said, "I wanted to prove why I was selected for the national team rather than the pressure," and laughed, "I was able to ease the burden of my heart because I think I proved why I am here."

Lastly, Noh Kyung-eun said, "In fact, I'm not a regular member of the national team, and I think it's the last national team, but I'm glad I was able to decorate it with such a good result. I thought I had to repay it because the people gave me so much support, but I am also honored and grateful to keep that promise by advancing to the quarterfinals."

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*This content was translated by AI.