Bae Ji-hwan's home run shot finally exploded! 

Bae Ji-hwan (25, Pittsburgh Pirates) hit a home run on the Triple-A stage, accelerating his return to the Major League.

Bae Ji-hwan, a member of the Indiana Police Indians, a Triple-A team under the Pittsburgh Pirates, started as the second batter and second baseman in a 2024 U.S. minor league away game against Tolido Mudhens (Triple A under the Detroit Tigers) at Fifth Third Field in Tolido, Ohio, on the 10th (Korea time).

While playing in the spring camp ahead of this season, Bae suffered a hip injury in his left side and left the lineup. After an exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 6, he focused on rehabilitation. Prior to the opening game of the Major League Baseball's regular season, he was put on the 10-day injured list but failed to make the opening roster.

And he is about to return to the big leagues. The official major league website MLB.com said on the same day, "Bae Ji-hwan has moved to the Leaguer Ana Police Indians, a minor league Triple-A team under the Pittsburgh Pirates. If he completes rehabilitation, he may be excluded from the IL list at any time."

Bae has been showing off his batting performance in an upbeat mood recently. On Tuesday, he played as a member of the minor league Single-A Marauders under Pittsburgh, and posted two hits and one RBI from three times at bat. He also hit a home run in the game, showing off his slugging instinct.

Bae entered the batter's box in the top of the first inning with one out and no runners at the top of the first inning when the two teams were tied 0-0. The opponent pitcher was Austin Bergner. After lightly picking out a change-up that was low on the body of the first pitch, Bae watched both the outer fastball on the second pitch and the third fastball strike on the body. After the fourth pitch, he failed to display a bat on a change-up that was low on the body, and bowed his head due to rookie strikeouts. Bae seemed to think about the ball with his hips pulled back, but the referee's hand moved and he went into the dugout.

Bae hit his second at-bat at the top of the second inning with two outs. He targeted the first pitch and the four-seam fastball, which was pushed to the center of the second pitch, but both became fouls. The third pitch was a high ball toward the body, and he lightly pushed a changeup that came into the outer strike zone for the fourth pitch, and hit a timely hit to the left field. Meanwhile, second baseman Nick Gonzalez scored, and Bae had an RBI. The score went from 2-1 to 3-1.

Bae displayed his instinct to get on base in the fourth inning. With his team still trailing 3-4 with two outs and no runners. His opponent was Andrew Vazquez, the changed pitcher. Vazquez threw five pitches against Bae, all of which were sliders. Bae picked out the first low ball and the second outer ball well. After watching a strike on the third pitch, he successfully got on base by picking out both the high ball on his body and the low ball on the fifth pitch. Bae succeeded in getting to second base when his team hit an infield single by Reover Peguero, but failed to score a point when Jake Lamb stopped hitting a fly ball to center field.

Bae stood at the fourth batter's box in the top of the sixth inning when his team was losing 4-5, with one out and runners on first base. The opposing pitcher was Beau Brieske. Bae watched the high course ball for the second time after fouling the first pitch, but his strike was declared. While his third and fourth pitches were both balls, he recorded fouls for the fifth and became fully counted, and Bae bowed his head with a foul tip strikeout at 96.9 miles (155.9 kilometers) for the fifth pitch.

However, Bae finally detonated a cannon at his fifth at bat in the eighth inning. With his team trailing 4-6, he was without runners with two outs. The opponent team's pitcher was Brennan Hanifi. Bae just watched strikes on his body from the first and second pitches, and was immediately at a disadvantageous ball count of 0-2. The third pitch was his body ball. As he lost his balance again by pulling back, he took his breath for a moment. He then garnered a foul on the fourth pitch, and successfully selected a low sinker on the fifth and a high sinker on the sixth pitch, leading the game to the full count. He made a foul on the seventh pitch. He eventually swung a 90.6 miles (145.8 kilometers) cutter that was aimed toward his body perfectly to draw a solo arch that flew over the right-center fence. It was Bae's first home run this year. The batting speed was 105.5 miles (169.8 kilometers), the flying distance was 418 feet (127.4 meters), and the shooting angle was 28 degrees. As if he knew it was a home run the moment he was hit, he slowly walked around the ground and stepped on the home ground.

However, the team failed to turn the tables despite Bae Ji-hwan's valuable home run and lost 5-6.

Meanwhile, Bae made his big league debut in 2022 after going through the minor leagues. In the last season, he played both second and outfielders, playing like an all-star player. In the 2023 season, Bae played 111 games, posting a batting average of 0.231, 77 hits, two homers, 32 RBIs, 54 runs scored and 24 steals, with a slugging percentage of 0.296. His overall record in the Major League was 121 games, with two homers, 38 RBIs and 27 steals.

According to MLB.com last month, Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton said, "Bae Ji-hwan is a very athletic resource," adding, "He has the ability to play in various positions. He strives to maintain consistency in his swing, and he is an important player for our team."

More than anything else, Bae's fast speed is his biggest strength. "I feel a lot of pleasure in my speed," Bae said after recalling the legendary Ichiro Suzuki, who recorded 3,089 hits and 509 steals during his 19 seasons. "In the past, there were few Asian players in the Major League. Ichiro was the only player I had. Everyone hit home runs, but Ichiro did not. He used his speed. I also thought that I wanted to become one. Not many people can do that." "Bae is a really fast player. That's why I have to slow him down sometimes," Shelton said. "Now that I can judge the batting average, I don't have to reach his maximum speed immediately."

BY: 토토사이트 순위