‘Leadoff’ Bae Ji-hwan returns from ankle injury to record a hit in his first at-bat back in the big leagues

Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates), who returned to the major leagues, reported a hit from the first at-bat.

On the 19th (Korean time), Bae Ji-hwan 메이저사이트 started as the first batsman and center fielder in the 2023 Major League Minnesota Twins away game held at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.

Bae Ji-hwan, who was on the injured list (IL) the next day after injuring his ankle in the game against the Milwaukee Brewers on July 2, returned to the big league stage after 48 days. Bae Ji-hwan, who improved his sense of practice through rehabilitation, played in 9 games in minor league Triple-A, recording a batting average of 0.344 (11 hits in 32 at-bats), 1 home run, 1 RBI, 2 steals, and an OPS of 0.993. When Bae Ji-hwan showed good form in the rehabilitation game, Pittsburgh brought him up sooner than expected.

Bae Ji-hwan, who played as a leadoff, hit Minnesota starter Pablo Lopez’s second pitch fastball at 94.2 miles per hour (approximately 151.6 km) in the first at-bat in the first inning and recorded a hit to the left. Bae Ji-hwan, who advanced to second base with a hit by Brian Reynolds, went to third base when Ki Brian Hayes hit a fly ball in right field. However, Jack Swinsky and Henry Davis struck out consecutively and failed to score.

Bae Ji-hwan, who is playing his first full-time season in his second year in the major leagues, played in 76 games before returning from injury, recording a batting average of 0.238 (51 hits in 214 bats), 2 homers, 19 RBIs, 20 steals, and an OPS of 0.609.