Pittsburgh Pirates' Bae Ji-hwan (26) soared again. Continuing with a batting average close to .500, he had a multi-hit game, including a double.
Bae Ji-hwan started as the ninth batter and left fielder in a spring training game against the Baltimore Orioles at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida, on the 16th (Korea time), contributing 2 hits in 3 at-bats, including a double, and scoring twice, leading Pittsburgh to a 15-5 victory. He took another step closer to making the opening roster.
The day before (15th), Bae Ji-hwan recorded hits in consecutive games, having been substituted in as a defensive replacement in the bottom of the seventh against the Detroit Tigers and successfully stealing second base after a hit in the bottom of the eighth. His spring training overall stats include a batting average of .481 in 13 games (27 at-bats, 13 hits), 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 9 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts, 3 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .500, a slugging percentage of .741, and an OPS of 1.241.
In the bottom of the first inning with 2 outs and a runner on third, he struck out. He was called out on a looking strikeout against Baltimore right-handed starter Thaddeus Ward's outside sweeper. Initially, the call was a ball leading to a walk, but Ward challenged the call, and the ABS review changed it to a strike, resulting in a strikeout.
However, in the bottom of the fourth with 1 out and no runners on base, he got on base with a bunt single against left-hander Gregory Soto. He executed a surprise bunt on the first pitch, a high sinker inside, and although Soto rushed to field it, his throw to first base was low and went past. In the meantime, Bae Ji-hwan advanced to second.
The ball was recorded as an infield hit due to a pitcher's error. Quickly advancing to scoring position, Bae Ji-hwan scored on a ground ball by Oneil Cruz to third base with the bases loaded and 1 out after walks issued to Ke'Bryan Hayes and Endy Rodriguez. It was a crucial score that gave Pittsburgh a 5-4 lead.
In his last at-bat of the seventh inning, he also reached second base. He hit a bullet past the second baseman on a 97.4 mph (156.8 km/h) four-seam fastball that came low inside from right-hander Serantory Dominguez. Although the ground ball, with a launch angle of 6 degrees, did not roll to the fence, Bae Ji-hwan sprinted and slid into second base with a bent-leg slide. This marked his fourth multi-hit game of the spring training.
The ball's speed was 103.9 mph (167.2 km/h), and although Baltimore right fielder Daz Cameron made a backhand catch and threw to second base, he couldn't catch up to Bae Ji-hwan's speed. This was Bae Ji-hwan's fourth stolen base of the spring training, made purely with his legs. Afterward, he advanced to third base on walks issued to Rodriguez and Cruz and scored again after an infield hit by Abraham Gutierrez.
In left field, Bae Ji-hwan did not have to make any plays on balls and was substituted before the top of the seventh inning, ending his game.
[OSEN = Lee Sang-hak reporter]