Bae Ji-hwan (26) of the Pittsburgh Pirates has hit in six consecutive games.
Bae Ji-hwan, under Pittsburgh, started as the left fielder on Mar. 2 (Korea time) at Werner Park in Papillion, Nebraska, during a game against the Omaha Storm Chasers, recording 1 hit, 1 run, and 1 walk in 4 at-bats.
In the first inning, Bae Ji-hwan, leading off, hit a 90.7 mph (about 146.0 km/h) four-seam fastball from left-handed starter Ryan Ramsey, but it was caught as a ground ball to the shortstop. In the second inning, with 2 outs and runners on 1st and 3rd, Bae was allowed to reach base after being hit by Ramsey's 6th pitch, a 77.5 mph (124.7 km/h) curveball, but the subsequent batting did not lead to consolidation.
Bae Ji-hwan attempted a surprise bunt on Ramsey's first pitch of 87.8 mph (141.3 km/h) for a bunt single in the 4th inning with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd. Following that, Nick Solak drew a walk, Nick York hit an RBI single, and Malcolm Nunez drew a walk, allowing Bae to also score. In the 5th inning with 2 outs and a runner on 2nd, Bae hit a 94.4 mph (151.9 km/h) four-seam fastball from right-handed reliever Jacob Wallace, but it was caught as a ground ball to the third baseman.
With Indianapolis leading 7-1 in the 7th inning, Bae Ji-hwan, stepping into his 5th at-bat with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd, hit a 94.6 mph (152.2 km/h) four-seam fastball from right-handed reliever Ryan Brady, but it was caught as a ground ball to the shortstop, resulting in the runner on 1st being caught at 2nd base. Indianapolis allowed 1 run in the 9th but finished the game with a 7-2 victory.
Bae Ji-hwan has a career batting average of .229 (102 hits in 445 at-bats) with 2 home runs, 44 RBIs, 70 runs, and 33 stolen bases in 152 major league games. Last season, he struggled with injuries, recording a batting average of .189 (14 hits in 74 at-bats) with 6 RBIs, 11 runs, and 6 stolen bases in 29 games. In the minor leagues, he performed well with a batting average of .345 (86 hits in 249 at-bats) with 7 home runs, 42 RBIs, 49 runs, and 14 stolen bases in 67 games, but ultimately did not receive many opportunities in the big leagues.
In this year's spring training, Bae Ji-hwan swung a hot bat with a batting average of .381 (16 hits in 42 at-bats) with 1 home run, 4 RBIs, 13 runs, and 3 stolen bases for 20 games, successfully making it onto the major league opening roster, but did not receive many opportunities. He had 2 games, recording 0 hits in 4 at-bats. Eventually, shortly after the season began, Bae was sent down to the minor league Triple-A.
Bae Ji-hwan, aiming for a return to the big leagues, is currently batting .273 with 21 hits in 77 at-bats, along with 1 home run, 6 RBIs, 19 runs, and 5 stolen bases in 19 minor league games. He is maintaining good hitting form with hits in 6 consecutive games.
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