The pitcher was released at age 37 and contemplated retirement. But he didn’t let that stop him from making history in the KBO. SSG Landers pitcher Noh Kyung-eun, 40, is just beginning to blossom in baseball.
Noh came to the mound in the sixth inning of a 4-3 game against the NC Dinos of the Korea Baseball Organization at NC Park in Changwon, South Korea, with runners on first and second base and a slim 4-3 lead. Noh struck out Park Siwon and Kim Joo-won in consecutive at-bats to end the threat, and then roared. It was the first time in her career that she recorded 30 holds in back-to-back years.
Last year, in her 39th season, Noh went 9-5 with a 3.58 ERA in 76 games and 83 innings, with two saves and 30 holds, and this year, she’s even more dominant, going 6-4 with a 2.70 ERA in 62 games and 66⅔ innings, with 30 holds, and an irreplaceable closer.
The nature of the closer’s role, which requires him to pitch frequently in the middle and late innings when the team needs him, makes it difficult to maintain consistent form. That’s why his hold record hasn’t been consistent. It’s rare to find a player with 20 holds in two consecutive years, let alone 30 holds in two consecutive years. Koo Seung-min of the Lotte Giants is only the second pitcher in history to record 20 holds in four consecutive years until last year.
In particular,
Pitchers suffered harsh repercussions the following season after reaching 30. 토토사이트 Of the 12 players in the history of the 30-hit list, including Noh, 10 have failed to reach 20 the following year. Two of them, SK’s Park Hee-soo, who had 34 saves in 2012, and KT’s Park Young-hyun, who had 32 saves in 2023, were converted to closers the following year. Park Hee-soo had 24 saves and one save in 2013 and Park Young-hyun had 18 saves in 2024. Aside from these two, eight pitchers failed to show consistent performance the following year.
This is one of the rarest and rarest records in the history of the league, and Noh was the first to achieve it. However, she did it in her age 39-40 season.
Noh had previously been released after his age 37 season. After being released by Lotte after her 37th season, she even considered retiring. She was at an age where she had to think about it. But there was still a team that wanted her, and it was SSG. After a tryout, she put on a SSG jersey.
Who would have thought that joining SSG would change her life in baseball so much.
She rejuvenated herself. After going through many trials and errors with her body, she perfected a fitness regimen that worked for her and kept her pitches in check. In 2022, he pitched 41 games between the starting rotation and the bullpen, posting a 12-5 record, one save, seven holds, and a 3.05 ERA, helping the team win the inaugural Wire-to-Wire regular season title and the overall championship.
He also established himself as a must-win pitcher last year and this year, reaching the 30-hold record for the second consecutive year. Noh, who is sometimes plagued by controversy, quietly did his part to reach the record.
Noh’s baseball career, which hasn’t really blossomed since he was drafted by Doosan in 2003, has changed dramatically as he enters his twilight years. Noh is showing everyone that late bloomers are more beautiful.