After two games, Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh) had a welcome hit. But I couldn’t be satisfied. This is because it was a game where he could have even reached 3 bases if it had not been for a disappointing strike decision.
On the 18th (Korean time)메이저사이트, Bae Ji-hwan started as the 7th hitter and center fielder in the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) visiting game against the Detroit Tigers held at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan, USA, and recorded 1 hit and 1 run in 5 at-bats. did.
Along with Bae Ji-hwan’s hit, the team’s batting line gained strength after a long time and won 8-0. It was nice to see the revival of the team batting line, which was suffering from severe empty hitters, but it was a game that Bae Ji-hwan could not be completely satisfied with.
Bae Ji-hwan attempted a sacrifice bunt in the first at-bat in the top of the 2nd inning, but the result was painful. The ball landed in front of the catcher and the preceding runner was caught on third base. Later, Bae Ji-hwan stepped home when Austin Hedges hit a double at the right time.
Bae Ji-hwan, who backed off with a ground ball to second base in the top of the 4th inning with no runners out, made a hit in the third at-bat in the top of the 6th inning. In a situation where there was no runner in the first run, he hit the high fastball of opponent left-handed bullpen pitcher Tyler Alexander and scored a heavy hit. It was a more meaningful hit because he was silent in two at-bats against Detroit on the 17th.
Bae Ji-hwan’s 7th at-bat graph. You can see that the 4-ball cutter passed over the strike zone. /Photo = MLB.com
9 at bat graph. The fast ball on the 4th ball passed far over the zone, but was ruled a strike. /Photo = MLB.com
In the 7th and 9th episodes, there were scenes that were left with regret. In the beginning of the 7th inning, he faced Alexander once again at the plate with no 1st and 3rd bases. With a ball count of 2-1, the 4th pitch cutter was highly controlled. However, the referee called for a strike. Bae Ji-hwan, who had difficulty judging the zone, ended up swinging and striking out with a 6-pitch higher cutter.
The situation in the ninth inning was similar. With the ball count 2-1, left-handed pitcher Tyler Holton’s 4-pitch ball passed well over the zone, but the referee’s call was a strike again. eventually struck out.
In both the 7th and 9th innings, he struck out after a full count match. It was a more unfair decision because if the high ball, which was judged to be a strike twice, became a ball, it would have been possible to add two more walks. Bae Ji-hwan also made an expression that he couldn’t understand when the 9th inning was judged for a 4-ball strike.
Although he produced hits in two games after the Baltimore Orioles game on the 15th, Bae Ji-hwan’s season batting average slightly decreased from 0.239 to 0.237.
Pittsburgh, which has been struggling with empty hits recently, won a sweeping victory with 14 hits in a short period of time. 23 wins and 20 losses, the National League (NL) Central District lead Milwaukee Brewers, who have not yet played on this day, narrowed the ride to 1.5 games.
Brian Reynolds went 3-for-5 with 2 runs scored, Rodolfo Castro led the batting line with 2 hits, 2 RBIs and 2 runs in 4 at-bats, and starter Rich Hill won his 4th win (3 losses) of the season with a good pitch with 1 hit, 2 walks and 7 strikeouts in 6 innings. .