Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh), who had been quiet, tried to start the game again, but the team could hardly revive the atmosphere of the rebound. Nevertheless, Bae Ji-hwan’s long hit, which came out after a month, gives hope to the sleeping Pittsburgh batting line.
On the 11th메이저놀이터 (Korean time), in the 2023 American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) home game against the Colorado Rockies held at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, Bae Ji-hwan played as a pinch hitter with 2nd out and 1st base at the end of the 9th inning when the team was trailing 3-4, 2 blew a lute
However, the follow-up hitter misfired and lost 3-4. Pittsburgh, which led the National League (NL) Central Division before the game, recorded 21 wins and 17 losses, continuing its narrow lead over Milwaukee by 0.5 games.
Pittsburgh vs Colorado starting lineup (May 10 Korean time)
Pittsburgh: Brian Hayes (third base) – Brian Reynolds (left field) – Andrew McCutchen (designated hitter) – Carlos Santana (first base) – Connor Joe (right field) – Jack Swinski (center field) – Tucupita Macano ( Second baseman) – Chris Owings (shortstop) – Austin Hedges (catcher). Starting pitcher Rich Hill.
Colorado: Jurickson Profar (left fielder) – Ezekiel Toba (shortstop) – Chris Bryant (designated hitter) – CJ Cron (first baseman) – Randall Grichuk (center fielder) – Ryan McMahon (third baseman) – Austin Winns (catcher) ) – Allen Trejo (second base) – Brenton Doyle (center field). Starting pitcher Antonio Senzatela.
U.S. CBS Sports said, “Bae Ji-hwan was dropped from the lineup against Colorado,” and “Bae Ji-hwan, who missed 3 consecutive games due to an ankle injury, returned to play the day before the 1-10 loss and recorded no hits and 2 strikeouts in 3 at-bats. A special problem was reported. It didn’t work out. Makano replaces Bae Ji-hwan.”
McCutchen hit a two-run home run against Colorado on the 10th. /AFPBBNews=News1
The selection of both teams was shaken from the beginning, and the game flowed into a bullpen confrontation. Hill gave up 3 runs in 3⅔innings (1 earned run), and Senzatela gave up 2 homeruns and 3 runs in 2⅔innings and was knocked out early.
It was Pittsburgh that went ahead. In the second inning, Joe went to base with a walk, but was out while stealing second base. After 2 outs in the 3rd inning, Reynolds hit the right wall with a double, and McCutchen hit a fast ball on a full count and fired a two-run gun that went over the left wall.
It was a meaningful score because it was Pittsburgh, which showed 13 points in 9 games played in May (local standard), including the game that day, and the lowest score in the league. This is because Pittsburgh did not score more than 3 runs during this period.
But this time the mound didn’t help. In the 4th inning, Hill made an error after being hit with an RBI in a timely manner, and later allowed consecutive hits to tie the game. The earned run was recorded as 1, but it was even more regrettable because it was a game that could have been caught if it were not for an error.
Pittsburgh, which gave up one more point in the 7th inning, was dragged by a 1-point lead. There was a chance to turn around in the bottom of the ninth. Castro went on base with a walk, and Bae Ji-hwan came to the plate with second out and first base. Bae Ji-hwan boldly swung the bat at Pierce Johnson’s fast ball of 97 mph (156 km) and created a double toward left-center. Although the lead runner did not pass home because the batted ball failed to break through the left middle, Bae Ji-hwan used his quick feet to dig into the second base.
It was his third double this season and his first hit in six games since the game against Tampa Bay on the 4th. In particular, it was a long hit that allowed him to regain his confidence, as he had been criticized and lowered his head after his failure to steal a base against Toronto on the 6th. In addition, the double hit by Bae Ji-hwan, who has not had a long hit since the game against Houston (home run) on the 11th of last month, is expected to be a great help to the lineup, which is struggling with empty hits. Bae Ji-hwan’s batting average rose slightly from 0,232 to 0.240.
But he couldn’t stop laughing at the end. Pittsburgh lost by one point as Josh Palacios struck out. On this day, there were also two home runs, but only six hits. Pittsburgh seemed to revive the atmosphere with a victory over Colorado on the 9th after losing seven in a row, but fell into two consecutive losses again and a red flag was turned on for the lead.