Noh Kyung-eun

1. Early life and amateur career

Noh Kyung-eun's early life and amateur career were marked by significant promise, positioning him as one of the top high school pitchers in South Korea.

1.1. Education

Noh Kyung-eun attended Seoul Hwagok Elementary School, Seoul Seongnam Middle School, and Seoul Seongnam High School.

During his senior year at Seongnam High School in 2002, Noh Kyung-eun was considered one of the "Big 3" high school pitchers, alongside Song Eun-beom of Dongsan High School and Kim Dae-woo of Gwangju Jeil High School. His exceptional talent garnered attention from Major League Baseball scouts, who expressed interest in signing him.

2. Professional career

Noh Kyung-eun's professional career spans multiple teams and includes significant periods with the Doosan Bears, two stints with the Lotte Giants, a brief period in the Australian Baseball League, and his current tenure with the SSG Landers.

2.1. Doosan Bears era

Noh joined the Doosan Bears as a first-round pick in 2003, beginning a long and eventful tenure with the team.

2.1.1. Early struggles and recovery

Noh's professional debut in 2003 was delayed by a shoulder injury, limiting him to a KBO League first-team appearance only in the latter half of the season. In 2004, the team considered placing him on a voluntary retirement list due to ongoing friction over his injury and military service obligations. He underwent elbow surgery that same year. Furthermore, Noh was implicated in a military service evasion scandal and was required to serve as a public service worker in 2005. Even after completing his alternative service, he faced difficulties, including online disputes, which limited his opportunities on the field. He did not make his postseason debut until 2009, when he was on the roster for the playoffs alongside pitcher Ji Seung-min, though he did not pitch. His first postseason start came in the 2012 KBO League semi-playoffs.

2.1.2. Breakout and main period

Noh Kyung-eun's career began to take a significant turn in 2011, a year marked by substantial turnover in the Doosan Bears' pitching staff. This situation provided him with increased opportunities, and he emerged as a prominent figure in the bullpen alongside Kim Kang-ryul. His resurgence was greatly aided by then-second-team pitching coach Kim Jin-wook. When Kim Jin-wook became manager in 2012, Noh returned to the starting rotation due to an injury to Lim Tae-hoon, securing a win as a starter. On September 6, 2012, against the Nexen Heroes, he pitched his first career complete game shutout. He followed this on September 19, 2012, against the Kia Tigers, achieving his first double-digit win season. Noh recorded his second career complete game shutout, and second of the 2012 season, on September 26, 2012, against the Hanwha Eagles. During this period, he also achieved a remarkable 33-inning scoreless streak, which extended to 34 consecutive scoreless innings before ending on October 2, 2012, against the Nexen Heroes. This streak stands as the third-longest in KBO League history. He secured a win in that game, finishing the 2012 season with 12 wins (10 as a starter). In the 2012 KBO League semi-playoffs against the Lotte Giants, he started Game 2, pitching 6.1 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 strikeouts, 3 walks and hit batters, and 1 earned run. In 2013, with Lee Yong-chan sidelined by elbow surgery and Kim Sun-woo struggling, Noh Kyung-eun became a key part of the Doosan Bears' starting rotation, forming a formidable one-two punch with Dustin Nippert.

2.1.3. 2015 Korean Series

Noh Kyung-eun played a crucial role in the 2015 Korean Series championship run. On October 30, against the Samsung Lions in Game 4, he entered the game after starter Lee Hyun-ho and pitched 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball, earning the win.

2.2. Lotte Giants era (First stint)

On May 31, 2016, Noh Kyung-eun was traded to the Lotte Giants in a one-for-one deal for Go Won-jun. He recorded his first win with the Lotte Giants on June 22, 2016, against the Kia Tigers, allowing 4 runs in 5 innings. On June 28, 2016, he pitched a 6 inning scoreless outing, signaling a return to form after some initial struggles with the team. In the 2018 season, he finished with a record of 9 wins and 6 losses and an earned run average of 4.08. Following the 2018 season, he became eligible for free agency, but negotiations with the Lotte Giants fell through, leading to a period of uncertainty.

2.3. Australian Baseball League career

In 2019, after his free agency negotiations with the Lotte Giants broke down, Noh Kyung-eun signed with Geelong Korea of the Australian Baseball League. This stint provided him with an opportunity to continue playing competitively.

2.4. Return to KBO and Lotte Giants era (Second stint)

After his time in Australia, Noh Kyung-eun returned to the KBO League, signing a 2+1 year contract with the Lotte Giants worth 1.10 B KRW ahead of the 2020 season. On May 16, 2020, in a start against the Hanwha Eagles, he pitched 7 innings, allowing only 1 run, to secure his first win back in the KBO League. In 2021, he appeared in 14 games, recording 3 wins and 5 losses. He was released by the Lotte Giants on October 29, 2021.

2.5. SSG Landers era

Following his release from the Lotte Giants at the end of the 2021 season, Noh Kyung-eun transferred to the SSG Landers. In 2023, he was named a KBO All-Star for the first time in his career. In 2024, he achieved his first individual title by becoming the league's hold king.

3. National team career

Noh Kyung-eun has represented the South Korea national baseball team in international competition. He was selected to the national team for the 2013 World Baseball Classic.

4. Controversies

Throughout his career, Noh Kyung-eun has been involved in several controversies that have garnered public attention and impacted his public image.

On July 3, 2009, during a start against the LG Twins, Noh pitched 3 innings, allowing 3 home runs, which contributed to his team's loss. Given his previous performance issues and a prior threat of retirement, fan sentiment was already negative. Following the game, some Doosan Bears fans posted malicious comments on his Cyworld mini-hompy (a South Korean social media platform). Noh responded directly to these comments on the fans' mini-hompies, engaging in a verbal altercation. When other fans criticized his unprofessional behavior, he reportedly redirected his anger towards them before stating he was going to play Kartrider (a popular online racing game) and disappearing from the online discussion, which became a widely discussed topic. On July 7, a banner indirectly mocking him briefly appeared at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, sparking further debate among fans. On July 8, he was demoted to the second team. He briefly closed his Cyworld mini-hompy but reopened it, setting a photo of himself superimposed onto a Kartrider game screen as his main image and posting sarcastic remarks, showing no sign of remorse. This incident earned him the nickname "Nocart." His recovery and increased contribution to the team, particularly in 2011 as a middle reliever and in 2012 as a successful starting pitcher, under the guidance of then-pitching coach Kim Jin-wook, gradually mitigated this negative public perception.

On May 10, 2016, Noh Kyung-eun declared his intention to retire from baseball. The Doosan Bears accepted his request and placed him on the voluntary retirement list. However, on May 13, 2016, he abruptly requested the KBO to withdraw his voluntary retirement. The KBO officially accepted his request to withdraw the voluntary retirement on May 14, 2016, allowing him to return to the Doosan Bears. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Lotte Giants.

Nocart: This nickname originated from the 2009 controversy where he engaged in online arguments with fans and then stated he was going to play Kartrider.
Nogaeng: A shortened, informal version of his full name, 노갱_Nogaeng^Korean.
Joseon's 4th Pitcher / Notani / Notani Shohei: These nicknames emerged from an unusual incident on June 16, 2017, during a game against the Nexen Heroes. Due to a lineup error by the Lotte Giants, designated hitter Choi Joon-suk was erroneously listed as a first baseman, while actual first baseman Lee Dae-ho remained in the dugout. This mix-up resulted in the pitcher (Noh Kyung-eun) being listed in the fourth batting spot. In jest, he was then compared to Shohei Ohtani, who is renowned for his exceptional abilities as both a pitcher and a batter, earning him these humorous monikers.

6. Career statistics

Year	Team	ERA	G	CG	SHO	W	L	SV	H	WPct	BF	IP	H	HR	BB	HBP	SO	R	ER
2003	Doosan	4.12	5	0	0	3	1	0	0	0.750	79	19⅔	12	2	12	2	8	9	9
2004		6.89	20	0	0	2	2	0	0	0.500	244	49⅔	65	11	31	2	35	41	38
2007		4.67	29	0	0	1	2	0	1	0.333	199	44⅓	45	2	25	3	21	25	23
2008		6.23	3	0	0	0	1	0	0	0.000	43	8⅔	12	0	5	1	7	8	6
2009		4.50	9	0	0	0	2	0	0	0.000	107	24	18	4	19	2	11	14	12
2010		13.50	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	-	47	9⅓	17	1	1	1	8	14	14
2011		5.17	44	0	0	5	2	2	3	0.714	290	62⅔	71	3	36	2	53	39	36
2012		2.53	42	2	2	12	6	0	7	0.667	608	146	106	6	69	8	133	46	41
2013		3.84	30	0	0	10	10	0	0	0.500	765	180⅓	171	16	75	6	153	88	77
2014		9.03	29	0	0	3	15	0	0	0.167	530	109⅔	147	14	69	1	74	117	110
2015		4.47	47	0	0	1	4	4	0	0.200	267	57⅓	57	6	37	5	41	33	29
2016	Lotte	6.85	22	0	0	3	12	0	0	0.200	454	96⅔	128	13	48	5	52	79	72
2017		11.66	9	0	0	0	2	0	0	0.000	76	14⅔	25	4	8	1	8	19	19
2018		4.08	33	0	0	9	6	0	0	0.600	547	132⅓	127	18	30	4	89	65	60
2020		4.87	25	1	0	5	10	0	0	0.333	574	133	139	19	40	3	77	76	72
2021		7.35	14	0	0	3	5	0	0	0.373	269	56⅓	79	11	24	4	35	50	46
2022	SSG	3.05	41	0	0	12	5	1	7	0.706	323	79⅔	69	5	27	4	55	28	27
2023	SSG	3.58	76	0	0	9	5	2	30	0.643	357	83	78	4	40	4	65	33	33
Career	18 seasons	4.99	484	3	2	78	90	10	48	0.464	5799	1306⅓	1366	139	646	58	925	784	724