'New engine' Bae Ji-hwan shined on the Triple-A stage with multiple hits, including a double.

Playing for the Indianapolis Indians, a Triple-A team under the Pittsburgh Pirates, Bae Ji-hwan was selected as the starting center fielder in a game against the St. Paul Saints (Minnesota Twins affiliate) at CHS Field in St. Paul, Minnesota, on the 28th (Korean time) of 2025, achieving 2 hits and 1 run in 5 at-bats.

He started strong, hitting a long ball right from his first at-bat. As the leadoff hitter in the first inning, facing a favorable count of 2B-1S, he hit a 94.9 mph (152 km/h) four-seam fastball from right-handed pitcher Jeb Matthews for a double to center field. This was the moment he achieved hits in three consecutive games and reached base in twelve consecutive games. This long hit was the first in eight games since the game against Toledo on the 18th.

Bae Ji-hwan then faced the following hitter, Riover Peguro, who grounded out to the shortstop, Nick York grounded out to the third baseman, and Derek Hall struck out with a swing, ending the inning at second base.

In the third inning, trailing 0-3, he struck out against Matthews with two outs and no runners on. In a full count at 3B-0S, he swung and missed at the sixth pitch, an 88.8 mph (142 km/h) slider that dropped low.

The third at-bat was different. In the fifth inning, still trailing 0-3, with one out and a runner on first, Bae Ji-hwan, after first baser Jung Jong-jun advanced to second base on a wild pitch, faced a 2B-0S count and targeted Matthews' third pitch, a 92.1 mph (148 km/h) cutter down the middle, earning a single to left field. This marked his first multi-hit game in five games since the 23rd against St. Paul. After moving to second base, Bae Ji-hwan scored on York's two-run hit to center field.

There would be no further opportunities. In the seventh inning, trailing 2-3 with one out and no runners, he made a fly out to the third baseman, and in the ninth inning, trailing 3-5 with two outs and a runner on first, he grounded out to the second baseman, ending the game with the final out.

With the addition of 2 hits, Bae Ji-hwan's Triple-A batting average rose from .254 to .266. The team lost 3-5, but Bae Ji-hwan succeeded in making an impression on the struggling Pittsburgh, the last place team in the National League Central.

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