(MHN Sports Reporter Park Yeon-jun) Despite Bae Ji-hwan’s stellar performance, Pittsburgh was overwhelmed by runs.
Bae Ji-hwan started at second 스포츠토토 base in the sixth inning of the 2023 Major League Baseball game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, U.S., on June 30 (KST) and went 1-for-4.
Bae was quiet early in the game. In his first at-bat with the bases loaded in the top of the second inning, Bae was retired on a fielder’s choice. He then led off the fifth inning with a single and was left on second base.
In the top of the seventh, with his team trailing 6-2, Bae hit a low slider from starter Anthony Desclafani to center field with the bases loaded. It was his 11th hit off the curb in his last 12 games and second straight.
The hit provided the go-ahead run for Pittsburgh. On the ensuing 1-3 pitch, pinch-hitter Rodolfo Castro’s infield single allowed third baseman Conor Jo to score.
Bae advanced to third on the play, but was unable to score. In his final at-bat in the ninth inning, he grounded out to first base.
Bae is hitting at a high point. In his last seven games, he is batting .400 (8-for-20) with a .979 OPS. However, his season batting average remains at .275.
Despite Bae’s performance, Pittsburgh looked lethargic on the day. The Pirates gave up a whopping eight runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to put the game out of reach for San Francisco.
Despite a two-hit performance from Zack Swinski, including a multi-homer game, Pittsburgh fell to 4-14. The Pirates have lost two straight.
Their season record is 26-26 and they are 1.5 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.