Bae Ji-hwan makes major league debut with the Pirates

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Bae Ji-hwan makes major league debut with the Pirates

Bae Ji-hwan [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Bae Ji-hwan [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Bae Ji-hwan made his major league debut on Friday.
 
Bae went 1-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases in the Pirates' 6-5 loss against the Chicago Cubs.
 
Bae picked up his first big league hit on his first trip to the plate in the second inning, firing a single to center.
 
Bae got on base twice — in the second and the ninth — and stole second on both occasions.
 
Bae first signed with the Atlanta Braves in September of 2017, a year before the Pirates acquired him for $1.25 million. 
 
In 2019, Bae was suspended for 30 games after a violation of the Minor League Baseball Player Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy, after allegations first arose in April, 2018 that Bae had assaulted his then-girlfriend.
 
This season, Bae has been playing with Triple-A Indianapolis, posting a .289 batting average with eight home runs, 53 RBI, 81 runs and 30 steals in 108 games.  
 
Bae's promotion comes after injury issues in July when he was sidelined for a month due to an oblique strain.  
 
The 23-year-old is the 26th Korean to play in the majors. The 25th Korean was Park Hoy-jun who debuted for the Pirates on July 16 last year, appearing as a pinch hitter for the Yankees after spending years playing in the minors.
 
Park has been spending most of his time in the minors since then, making occasional forays into the big leagues but rarely for more than a game or two.  
 
Bae will be looking to take advantage of the last few weeks of the 2022 season to earn a spot on the roster for next season.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]
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