Pittsburgh Pirates' Bae Ji-hwan (26) hit his first home run of the season.

Bae Ji-hwan, who was sent down to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, played as the starting center fielder in the game against the Louisville Bats at Louisville Slugger Field in Kentucky, U.S., on the 10th (Korea Standard Time), and recorded 2 hits, 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 runs, and 1 walk out of 4 at-bats.

In the first inning, leading off, Bae Ji-hwan faced right-handed starting pitcher Randy Wynn and hit a changeup at 78.5 mph (126.3 km/h), but was caught in a pop-up to left field.

With Indianapolis trailing 0-1 in the third inning with 2 outs, Bae Ji-hwan took his second at-bat and hit a cutter from Wynn at 86.8 mph (139.7 km/h), sending a solo home run over the right-center field fence. The exit velocity was 103.2 mph (166.1 km/h), and the distance was 377 feet (115 m).

Bae Ji-hwan, who tied the game at 1-1 with the home run, had a tough at-bat against Wynn with 2 outs and a runner on first base in the fifth inning, going to 9 pitches but struck out swinging on a sinker at 89 mph (143.2 km/h). In the seventh inning, with 1 out and runners on first and second, he drew a 5-pitch walk against right-handed reliever Alexis Diaz, creating a scoring opportunity with 1 out and runners on first and second. Indianapolis extended the lead by another run, but Bae Ji-hwan did not score.

In the ninth inning, with 2 outs in his final at-bat, Bae Ji-hwan hit a 2-bagger off right-handed reliever Jack Maxwell at 100.1 mph (161.1 km/h). Following that, Leover Pagero hit a 1-RBI double, making it onto the score sheet. Indianapolis won 7-3.

Bae Ji-hwan, who has a career batting average of .229 in 152 Major League games (445 at-bats, 102 hits), with 2 home runs, 44 RBIs, 70 runs, and 33 stolen bases, successfully made it into the opening day roster this season but only played in 2 games and was ultimately sent down to Triple-A on the 4th.

In his first Triple-A game on the 9th, Bae Ji-hwan went hitless in 4 at-bats, but on this day, he hit a home run and a double, quickly regaining his hitting form. Bae Ji-hwan is currently batting .250 in 2 Triple-A games (8 at-bats, 2 hits), with 1 home run, 1 RBI, and 2 runs, with an OPS of 1.083.

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