Bae Ji-hwan’s roster for the opening match has been confirmed.
On the 29th (Korean time), Bae Ji-hwan played as a major defensive player in the 6th inning of the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) exhibition game against the Minnesota Twins held at McKetchney Field in Bradenton, Florida, USA, and recorded no hits in 2 at-bats.
In the bottom of the 6th inning, with no runners out, he threw a hit, but unfortunately got caught in the first baseman’s glove and was out. 메이저놀이터
On this day, he did not produce a hit, but he confirmed his dream opening match.
MLB.com, a local US media outlet, announced that “utility man Bae Ji-hwan was included in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2023 season opening roster.”
This is the first time Bae Ji-hwan has been named on the 26-man opening roster.
In particular, the media commented on Bae Ji-hwan, “He had a stable defense and quick feet. He also recorded 4 steals, the most in the team, in this demonstration game.”
Here, the Pittsburgh local media Post-Gazette said, “Bae Ji-hwan has recorded 6 hits in 18 at-bats (batting average of 0.333) in 6 recent demonstration games. It will be a great backup resource.”
On this day, another Pittsburgh Korean big leaguer, Choi Ji-man, also appeared in great defense in the 5th inning, going 2 at bats with 1 hit and 1 RBI.
At the end of the 6th inning, Choi Ji-man, who had his first at-bat at second base, hit the right hand at the right time. However, at the plate at the bottom of the 8th inning, he withdrew with a ground ball to first base.
Choi Ji-man’s final performance in the demonstration game was a batting average of 0.278 with 1 home run and 7 RBIs.