SSG Landers pitcher Noh Kyung-eun, 40, has been a stalwart on the SSG mound even at his ripe old age.
Noh pitched a perfect game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the Shinhan Bank SOL Bank KBO League 2024 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on April 19, striking out one and walking none in one inning of relief. SSG won 9-3, snapped a two-game losing streak and moved up to fifth place in the league.
Noh, who turned the ripe old age of 30 this year, has been putting on a stellar performance that has completely dispelled any concerns of aging. After anchoring SSG’s bullpen over the past two years with a 21-10 record in 117 games (162⅔ innings), 37 holds and three saves for a 3.32 ERA, Noh has been the most reliable pitcher on the mound this season with a 6-4 record in 49 games (54⅔ innings), 20 holds and a 2.63 ERA. He is third in the league in holds, tied for third in appearances, and first in bullpen innings pitched.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Noh is one of the biggest driving forces behind SSG’s chances of fighting for a top-five finish, especially in this year’s upset-prone KBO landscape. Examples include Kia failing to protect a 14-run lead against Lotte to draw 15-15 last month, and Kiwoom leading 8-0 in the seventh inning against KT on April 18, 파워볼실시간 but failing to protect an 8-run lead in the eighth and ninth innings, allowing the tying run to score and losing 8-12 in extra innings.
SSG coach Lee Sung-yong said;
“That’s baseball. There seem to be a lot of games like that this year. It’s my first time coaching this year, but I couldn’t calculate well. During the game, if you say, “I want to go like this,” you have to go to a certain extent, but you can’t calculate that well, so you always have to have someone ready. That’s why the bullpen is overloaded,” he said.
In such a situation, the veteran Noh’s performance was very welcome. Lee said, “(Noh) has been doing a lot better than I thought she would. She’s done a great job with her multi-inning performance, and when the team was in trouble, she filled in the gaps and went above and beyond,” Lee said.
Noh’s performance is not only benefiting the team, but she is also having a positive impact on the younger players who will be responsible for the team’s future. “Kyung-eun is a very inspiring senior for the younger players,” said Lee. “It’s a great asset for the team to have such a good senior player. It’s great that the younger players can learn from her. I think it’s a plus alpha to have good seniors who are playing together giving advice rather than the manager and coach giving advice. The younger players at SSG should be very proud to have such good seniors,” he said.
“On the pitching side, we have Kyung-eun-yi and Seung-won (Moon) doing their job, and we also have Jin-yong (Seo). On the batting side, (Choi) Jung-i, (Choo) Shin-soo, and (Han) Yoo-seom are doing so well,” said Lee, who emphasized the role of the veterans. ”The younger players will have to work harder to surpass them. And they should. Only then can our team become stronger and go to greater heights,” he said, calling for the growth of the younger players.