"Even the king of home runs is shaking his head." Daejeon's specialty Monster Wall ← Left-handed hitter Is it hell? "As soon as I see it, I think I will never fall for it."

"Even the king of home runs is shaking his head." Daejeon's specialty Monster Wall ← Left-handed hitter Is it hell? "As soon as I see it, I think I will never fall for it."

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"As soon as I saw it, I thought, 'Oh, I'm not going to fall for this.' "

Noh Si-hwan (25, Hanwha Eagles), the fourth batter of the national team, also seemed to have had no choice but to cringe in front of the real "monster."

Now in his sixth year as a pro, Noh has been sweating profusely in order to make efforts for this season. He won the Golden Glove for third baseman and two home runs and RBIs with a batting average of 0.298 with 31 home runs and 101 RBIs in 2023, which was a disappointing year last year due to injury and sluggish performance. He did not have to use strong words such as "restoring his self-esteem" or "swallowing," but expressed his intention to challenge himself again for the home run king ahead of the spring camp.

In order for a batter to become the home run king, he needs an essential 'support group'. It is a batter-friendly home stadium. If there are some stadiums in Incheon such as SSG Landers Field and Daegu Samsung Lions Park that are relatively prone to home runs, on the other hand, there are others that have extremely difficulty hitting home runs due to wide outfield like Jamsil Baseball Stadium. In the history of the KBO League, Kim Sang-ho (1995 OB Bears), Tyrone Woods (1998 OB) and Kim Jae-hwan (2018 Doosan Bears) won the home run king award while using Jamsil Stadium.

However, the new home turf that Noh will play in this year, Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, has a unique environment. The new stadium is asymmetric in its left and right sides. It is 99 meters tall to the left fence, but only 95 meters to the right fence. It seems easy to hit a home run to the right, but it is not the case. It is because an 8-meter-high monster wall is installed in front of the right fence. It is easy to send a ball to the fence, but one has to pay attention to the angle to connect it to a home run. Left-handed hitters have difficulty pulling a ball unless the ball is intentionally floated.

Hanwha hitters are also burdened by Monster Wall's presence. When asked about Monster Wall in an interview back home on the 4th, captain Chae Eun-sung said, "I'm a right-handed hitter, so I don't think about hitting it toward Monster Wall. I'll put it over to an easy place, I don't think about putting it over to a hard place," smiling, "I've only heard that the right fence is close and high, but wouldn't it still give an advantage to left-handed hitters who pull?"

However, after confirming his home stadium through the opening ceremony and the Blue and White games, it seems that Monster Wall is under greater pressure. When asked during an interview after an exhibition game against SSG Landers held at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on Wednesday, Noh said, "The ball will never go over there."

"I can only hit a homer to the left (because I pulled it). As soon as I saw the Monster Wall, I thought, 'Oh, I won't pass this,'" Noh said. "Even if a left-handed batter hits it, I think it will be difficult." Even if the flying distance is short, it will be difficult to overcome the height. "(The structure) is too high. I can't see any trajectory (for a homer) because I got it right in the first place. I think it will be hard to overcome it with liner." 먹튀검증

There are not many hitters in the KBO League who shoot home runs at high angles that make them float. Only batters with different natural power, such as Park Byung-ho (Samsung Lions), Ha Jae-hoon and Choi Jeong (SSG), can they do so. "I don't know if there will be a left-handed hitter who can pass (since Park Byung-ho is also a right-handed hitter), and I think I will have to pass a lot behind left field this season," Noh said, smiling.