At the time, however, Ng had also successfully balloted for a new Build-To-Order housing flat.
“When I wanted to go (previously), the finances were okay. But after I had to move house, finances were a bit tighter and my savings depleted,” he said.
What was encouraging to Ng was the support from those around him, including those in his air force unit as well as his fiancee.
“Everyone told me: ‘Just go for it, don’t look back’,” he recalled. “That sort of gave me the assurance and I felt confident of my choice.
“They were all saying how proud they would be of me,” he said.
And so Ng took a leap of faith and a pay cut of more than 70 per cent, signing a season-long contract in March.
RIVALS TURNED “BESTIES”
While Ng arrived in an unfamiliar environment, there were familiar faces.
Some of his current teammates were part of the Indonesia team which he played against at the last SEA Games. They beat Singapore 10-4 to finish with the bronze medal.
“During the first two weeks, we were talking about that game every single day,” Ng laughed.
The rivalry was “so strong” back then but the newly-minted Singaporean and Indonesian teammates are now “besties”, he said.
Some back home were worried Ng might have trouble fitting in with teammates from different nationalities, but the Singaporean hasn’t had much trouble on that front.
It also helped that he’s not the first baseball player from his country going down this path.
Teammate Kohei Wong was the first Singaporean to join a professional baseball team, signing a training contract with Ibaraki Astro Planets last year. The team competes in another independent league, the Baseball Challenge League.
“He told me not too worry too much, that he has friends from other leagues who have played in the same league as I am,” said Ng.
“We talked about it and he said that it will definitely be tough but everyone in Singapore will be supporting me.”
Still, it can be lonely in the countryside, admitted Ng, who was called “city boy” by his ex-coach.
“My teammates know that it will be a struggle for me, because I’m alone here and there’s no signs of familiarity, no familiar faces, no common language,” he said.
“They have been trying to support me, and accommodate me, by inviting me to go eat (with them).”
