Hanwha Eagles infielder Noh Si-hwan hit three home runs in his first game in the KBO.

Starting at third base and batting third in the lineup against KT Wiz in the 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, South Korea, Noh went 5-for-5 with three home runs. However, his home run was overshadowed by the team’s 6-12 loss.

Noh, who led the league in home runs with 23 before this game, hit his 24th, 25th, and 26th home runs to solidify his lead. It was the first time since his debut that Noh hit three home runs in a game. In the middle of the game, second-place home run hitter Choi Jung (SSG Landers), who was playing in the other ballpark, tried to catch up to Noh with an arching shot, but he was unable to overtake the three-homer mark.

Noh continued the good vibes with a home run in his first at-bat of the game. Two batters later, he lifted a 129 km/h changeup from opposing starter Uhm Sang-baek for a solo home run over the left-center field fence. It was Noh’s 24th home run of the season. The next batter, Chae Eun-sung, completed the back-to-back home runs.

Noh also drew an arch in his second at-bat of the third inning. With runners on first and second after back-to-back singles by Moon Hyun-bin and Jung Eun-won, Noh took a 145 km/h four-seam fastball from Uhm Sang-baek over the left-center field fence. It was a huge home run that traveled 135 meters. 안전놀이터 It was Noh’s 25th home run of the season and his first in back-to-back at-bats.

Noh added another home run in the eighth inning. Leading off the eighth inning, Noh scooped up a 133 km/h slider from opposing pitcher Kim Young-hyun and smashed it over the center field fence in the deepest part of Suwon Stadium. It was Noh’s 26th home run.

Prior to the game, Noh was named the KBO League’s July Monthly MVP. He received four votes out of a total of 26 (15.4%) from journalists and 266,928 votes out of 451,658 (59.1%) from fans, for a total score of 37.24, earning him his first career monthly MVP award. It is the first monthly MVP honor for a Hanwha player in nearly five years since Jung Woo-ram in May 2018. He celebrated with three home runs on the day.

However, Noh’s home run was the highlight of his team’s loss. Hanwha, which led 5-1 after Noh’s back-to-back homers, gave up three runs in the fourth inning and six in the fifth to lose 6-12.