Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates) used his quick feet to keep his team’s winning streak alive.
Bae batted seventh in the lineup against the Oakland Athletics at PNC Park on Saturday, going 1-for-3 with a home run, a walk, a run scored and a stolen base in the Pirates’ 5-4 win. He is batting .275 (44-for-160) on the season. Riding a six-game winning streak, Pittsburgh improved to 32-27 and moved into first place in the National League Central.
Bae showed off both his quick feet and his ability to get on base. Trailing 1-0 with one out in the bottom of the second inning 메이저놀이터, he drew a seven-pitch walk off Oakland starter J.P. Sears with the bases loaded, then stole second on a 1-2 Austin Hedges at-bat and advanced to third on a double steal with pinch-runner Mark Matzias. It was his 18th stolen base of the season, moving him to fifth in the majors and second in the National League.
He didn’t reach base in his first at-bat, but his final at-bat was a different story. Leading off the bottom of the eighth inning with the score tied at 4-4, he took an early body sinker from Oakland reliever Sam Moll for an infield single. He sprinted to first base on a grounder that rolled in front of the shortstop, setting the stage for the game-winning run. One out later, Hedges singled to left, stole third and scored on Andrew McCutchen’s sacrifice fly to right field.
The defense also stood out. Trailing 1-3 with two outs in the top of the sixth inning and no one on base, he leaped up and snagged an Oakland Jays’ Peterson’s towering fly ball. He grabbed the outfield bullpen netting, stopped, and didn’t let go of the ball.