Unexpected advice from ‘original giant’ Son A-seop to Roh Jin-hyeok? “I can’t even eat when I go out if I play baseball well”
“(Son) Ah-seob said that if he was good at baseball at Lotte, it would be so hard that he wouldn’t even be able to eat (laughs).”
On the 19th, Noh Jin-hyeok held a signing ceremony as a free agent for the Lotte Giants at the Sapphire Hall in Lotte Hotel Busan. Having signed a four-year contract with Lotte for a total of 5 billion won, he is a resource that can deliver great hits and stable defense, going back and forth between shortstop and third baseman.
Noh Jin-hyuk, who first conveyed his impressions at the joining ceremony, said, “I wrote a few words because I didn’t think I could speak well. I am grateful to the Lotte officials who arranged the place for the initiation ceremony. After he started playing baseball, he once thought, ‘Can I do it?’ And I am so happy to be here with them.”
He continued, “I was able to come to Lotte because the general manager (Seong Min-gyu) acknowledged my worth and approached me with a sincere heart. Thank you so much. As much as I was treated well, I want to repay the trust by preparing well for the offseason.”
Noh Jin-hyeok received a special nomination from the NC Dinos in the 2012 KBO Rookie Draft and played for only one team until the 2022 season. This is the first transfer for him. Everything is inevitably unfamiliar.
Noh Jin-hyuk said, “Since he came to a new team, he still has an unfamiliar and awkward side. Still, I want to quickly melt into Lotte and play fun baseball. When I think of Lotte, I think of orange envelopes, newspaper cheers, and tremendous cheers from fans. Now, when I think it’s for me, I get excited.” Lastly, I will become a player who is not ashamed of the cheers of the fans.”
Lotte and NC have a unique sense of competition to the extent that they are called ‘Nakdong River rivals’. In Korea, it is not a big issue to transfer to each other even if it is a rivalry, but there must be a part that is conscious.
However, Noh Jin-hyeok said, “When I was in NC, I knew that the fans called Lotte the ‘rival of the Nakdong River’. However, I only thought of it as a match between NC and Lotte. I thought it was just one game rather than a special part.”
In NC, there is Son A-seop, who was a hero of Lotte in the past. After being nominated by Lotte with the 29th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2007 KBO Rookie Draft, he played 15 seasons. However, ahead of the 2022 season, he signed a 4-year contract with NC for a total of 6.4 billion won and transferred, and will serve as captain from the 2023 season.카지노
Noh Jin-hyeok, who was contacted by Son A-seop after transferring to Lotte, said, “A-seop hyung contacted me first. He advised me that it was the team he originally belonged to and that if he played baseball well, he would be treated well. He also said that if he is good at baseball, it will be so difficult that he will not be able to eat properly outside. He later laughed, saying, “He decided to eat together in Busan.”
Noh Jin-hyeok is not flashy and does not have a striking style, but as a player who silently fulfills his role, he was also the most needed resource for Lotte. Also, as he desperately needed to supplement the shortstop position that even Lee Hak-joo could not solve, Noh Jin-hyeok was like a thousand horses.
Noh Jin-hyuk said, “I think what the club wants from me is to play baseball soundly and faithfully. I want to keep the OPS 0.800 steady. Also, there are many young players in the infield, so I want to lead the team well with captain An Chi-hong.”
Finally, “Every winter, I have a back problem, so I pay attention to strengthening exercises. He is also gearing up to compete well as he has his first training session at Lotte ahead. His physical condition is very good right now,” and made us look forward to his bright future.