The Hanwha Eagles’ Noh Si-hwan, last season’s home run king with 18 home runs in the first half of the year alone, is out with an injury.
Noh was removed from the first team roster on July 7. The move was expected due to his absence from the All-Star Game the day before, but it was made official with the exclusion.
Noh participated in the Home Run Derby, which was held two days after the Futures All-Star Game. The Home Run Derby consisted of eight players selected by fan voting. Austin Dean and Jonathan Peraza faced off in the final, with Austin winning the title.
But that’s when things started to go awry. Noh didn’t hit a single home run in the Home Run Derby. Before and after the home run challenge, he was seen touching his shoulder repeatedly, seemingly in pain. When senior Ryu Hyun-jin saw his distress, he patted him on the shoulder.
This eventually led to the injury.
On the morning of the All-Star Game, Noh complained of discomfort in his left shoulder shortly after waking up. He traveled to Cheongju, 고스톱사이트 where he underwent a medical examination and was removed from the first team roster.
This year, Noh has appeared in 82 games, batting .266 with 18 home runs, 60 RBIs, and an OPS of .805. Hanwha called up veteran outfielder Kim Kang-min to the first team in place of Noh Si-hwan.
In addition to Noh, Hanwha also released pitching coaches Jeong Kyung-bae and Park Seung-min from the first team, ahead of the late-season appointments of Yang Seung-kwan and Yang Sang-moon. Jung will serve as hitting coach and Park as pitching coordinator.
The Doosan Bears released veteran Kim Jae-ho from the first team roster.
Earlier, the Samsung Lions also formalized their coaching staff changes as previously announced. Head coach Lee Byung-gyu, pitching coach Jung Min-tae, bullpen coach Kwon Oh-joon, and battery coach Lee Jung-sik have been dismissed from the first team. Lee Byung-kyu will take over as head coach of the Future Team, Jung Min-tae and Lee Jung-sik will coach the Future Team, and Kwon Oh-joon will coach the Rehabilitation Team.
Instead, second-team coach Jung Dae-hyun will serve as the head coach and pitching coach for the first team, while Tachibana’s third-team hitting coach, Kang Young-sik, bullpen coach, and Chae Sang-byung, battery coach, will be registered for the first team.