Bae Ji-hwan goes on base and Choi Ji-man makes a home run… Pittsburgh’Korean Duo’

Ji-man Choi (32) of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the first home run in an exhibition game. After Bae Ji-hwan (24) of the same team went on base, Choi Man-man came up with an ideal picture.

Choi Ji-man started as the designated hitter No. 4 안전놀이터 in the 2023 Major League (MLB) exhibition match against the Tampa Bay Race held at Lecom Park in Bradenton, Florida, USA on the 18th (Korean time) and scored 1 hit (1 home run) in 2 at-bats. Recorded 2 RBIs and 1 walk.

Choi Ji-man’s only hit was a home run. He hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, his first home run of his all-exhibition game.

It was Bae Ji-hwan, another Korean major leaguer, who opened the door. Bae Ji-hwan, who started as the first hitter that day, got on base with a hit ball in his first at-bat and succeeded in stealing second base. He then stepped up to third base on an infield grounder from Brian Reynolds.

When Jack Suwinsky struck out and got two outs, only Choi solved it. In the unfavorable ball count of the no-ball 2 strike, Choi pulled the slider on the 4th pitch of opponent starter Luis Patiño and connected it to a 2-run homer that went over the right fence. Bae Ji-hwan also homered on this home run.

In the second at-bat at the end of the second inning, Choi Ji-man withdrew with a ground ball to the second baseman, and in the third at-bat at the end of the fifth inning, he chose a walk.

Bae Ji-hwan’s performance also stood out. Bae Ji-hwan, who scored a goal in the first inning with a hit ball and a stolen base, hit a double that exceeded the height of the center fielder in the bottom of the second inning with one out on first and second base. The runner on second base homered on this batted ball, making it 3-0.

Bae Ji-hwan, who withdrew due to a strikeout in his third at-bat at the end of the 4th inning, recorded 1 hit, 1 run, 1 run and 1 RBI in 2 at-bats that day.

Bae Ji-hwan, who started as a shortstop that day, showed off his ‘utility’ ability by moving to second baseman in the 5th inning defense.

With this game, Choi Ji-man’s batting average for the demonstration game was 0.250, and Bae Ji-hwan’s batting average was 0.200.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh won 6-2 thanks to the performance of the ‘Korean duo’. The exhibition match record was 6 wins and 12 losses. Tampa Bay is 11-9.