SSG Landers said on Wednesday that it has completed annual salary contracts with all 44 players eligible for renewal in the 2024 season. This marks the first time that negotiations have been completed among the 10 KBO league teams. The most notable name was Seo Jin-yong (32), the closing pitcher of the Korean pro baseball league.
As the first save king of his career with five wins, four losses and 42 saves with an ERA of 2.59, he will receive 450 million won (369.8 percent), up from 265 million won (29,000 U.S. dollars) last year. Among fielders, shortstop Park Sung-han (26) successfully entered the 300 million won range for the first time since his debut. 슬롯사이트 순위
However, it was Noh who received more attention than Seo Jin-yong and Park Sung-han. According to the club, Noh completed his contract renewal at 270 million won, up 100 million won (58.8 percent) from 170 million won last year. In terms of the amount of increase, he is the second highest after Seo.
As such, Noh Kyung-eun displayed outstanding performance on the SSG mound last year. In the 2023 season, he pitched in 76 games and played 83 innings, recording 9 wins, 5 losses, 2 saves, 30 holds, and an ERA of 3.58. He was tied for second after Kim Jin-sung (80 games), and was ranked first in the league in relief innings, beating younger players who were nearly 10 years younger than Lim Ki-young (31, Kia, 82 innings) and Kim Myung-shin (31, Doosan, 79 innings). After holding seven holds (2012 and 2022), Noh had a career high in his 21st season as a professional player, ranking second to Park Young-hyun (32 holds). It was a bonus to be selected as an All-Star for the first time in 21 years since his debut.
Noh, who showed his fighting spirit by recording a total of 25 consecutive throws, including 22 in two and three in three, performed better the more often he came out. His ERA in a game in which he pitched consecutively was 0.94, which was very good. In addition, although his ERA in September was a bit shaky at 7.00, he proved he has no problem with his physical strength as he did not yield a single point in his nine appearances in October. Although he played the role of a must-win team, he also took the mound in the third to fifth innings in the early and mid-game seasons.
Noh is starting a new baseball career with the SSG. After joining the Doosan Bears in 2003, Noh became the starting pitcher of the first division with 12-6 losses, seven holds, and an ERA of 2.53 in 2012. In the midst of such performances, Noh, who was also selected for the World Baseball Classic the following year, played 180 ⅓ innings, the most in his career, achieving a one-two punch in the Korean league with Yoo Hee-kwan (38, current KBS N Sports commentator).
Noh Kyung-eun, who was likely to play as a top-ranked starting pitcher in the league, had the worst season of 3-15 losses and 9.03 ERA in 29 games in 2014. He then held the final position at one point in the 2015 season, but failed to make a remarkable performance, and was eventually traded to the Lotte Giants during the next season. After failing to perform in his first two years, he pitched 132 ⅓ in 33 games in 2018 and posted a good 9-6 loss with a 4.08 ERA.
However, although he became a free agent for the first time in his life, he failed to reach an agreement with Lotte, and eventually lost the entire year of 2019 as a lost child. Later that year, he signed a dramatic two-year contract with Lotte, but his performance was insignificant, and he was eventually released by the team after the end of the 2021 season. At this time, joining the SSG after going through a tryout became a godsend for Noh Kyung-eun and the team.
In his first season at SSG, Noh played in 41 games (79 ⅔ innings) between starting and saving, posting an ERA of 3.05 with 12 wins, 5 losses, 1 save and 7 holds. By filling the vacancy of the pitching staff, he contributed to SSG’s regular-league “wire to wire” champion (keeping the No. 1 spot from the opening day to the end of the season) and even experienced the Korean Series title.
Thanks to his outstanding performance over the past two years, his salary has skyrocketed. After receiving 200 million won in salary in the last season with Lotte, he signed a contract with SSG for 100 million won, a 50 percent cut in 2022. However, his salary increased by 70 million won to 170 million won last year, and another 100 million won increase this year. This is a 270 percent increase in annual salary over the past two years. For a baseball player in his late 30s to early 40s, the result was remarkable at the age of 60.
SSG replaced Kim Won-hyung (52), who led the team to win the championship last year, and appointed Lee Sung-yong (53) as its new coach, citing generational change. “Our team’s strength and weakness are that we have many veteran players. We want to give authority and responsibility to veteran players, and we want to closely check and motivate younger players to achieve harmony,” Lee said at the inauguration ceremony. Under Lee, who is aiming to rebuild the team and catch two rabbits with good performance, Roh should immediately become a force and mentor to younger players.