Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh) became the main character of the ‘finishing home run’. Teammate Choi Ji-man (32) hit a home run in two consecutive games. It was literally a big league ‘Super Korean Day’.
On the 12th, Bae Ji-hwan started as second baseman in the home game against Houston in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, and hit a dramatic walk-off home run that ended the game 7-4.
Bae Ji-hwan recorded one hit in five at-bats that day, but that one hit was a three-run home run that decided the game in the ninth inning. With the score tied 4-4 at the end of the 9th inning, Bae Ji-hwan, who was on his last at-bat, faced an opportunity to score with one out and 1st and 2nd base.스포츠토토
Houston’s pitcher is Ryan Presley, a veteran with more than 500 appearances. After a tenacious game that lasted up to 7 pitches, Bae Ji-hwan hit a 142 km/h change-up and made a big hit toward the right-middle outfield.
Immediately after hitting, Bae Ji-hwan threw a bat and roared, feeling a home run. As he came home, he took off his helmet and threw it down, enjoying the joy with his teammates while doing a ‘slam dunk ceremony’.
Bae Ji-hwan, who finished off his second home run in his personal career, made a strong impression on home fans. On the 5th, in an away game against Boston, Bae Ji-hwan passed the “Green Monster” and hit his first home run after his big league debut.
Bae Ji-hwan said in the ‘Hero Interview’ right after the game, “It’s like I’m dreaming.” “I grew up watching senior Kang Jung-ho, who played in Pittsburgh. At the time, McCutcheon was also playing (with senior Kang Jeong-ho), and at the time, McCutcheon hit a home run and held a slam dunk ceremony.
Choi Ji-man, who congratulated Bae Ji-hwan during a hero interview by pouring ice from an ice box, also hit a home run in two consecutive games that day, showing off his heightened sense of hitting.
From the first at-bat in the first inning, Choi Ji-man showed unusual condition by hitting a big double in right field against Houston starter Christian Javier.
The sixth inning when the score was tied 2-2. Choi Ji-man, who took his third at-bat as the lead batter, hit Javier’s 148 km/h fastball with a full count and hit a large solo home run that passed the batted ball out of the field. Choi Ji-man entered the dugout and held a ceremony holding a broken bat like a ‘pirate’s knife’ and waving it cheerfully.
Choi Ji-man and Bae Ji-hwan hit a home run at the same time in the same game, writing a new record of ‘the first Korean home run with a major league player’. Pittsburgh posted a photo of the two players together on the club’s official Twitter account and announced that “Choi Ji-man and Bae Ji-hwan are Korean colleagues who hit a home run in the same game for the first time in MLB history.”