Hero treatment even if you don’t hit…’Diving→jumping in front of the fence’ is possible because Bae Ji-hwan dominates the outfield.

Even if he doesn’t get a hit, he’s a hero. That’s what Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates) does, diving and jumping all over the outfield.

Bae started at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth inning of their home game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on 3 March, and made two spectacular plays that thrilled fans and teammates alike. Although he didn’t register a hit, Bae was a late-game hero.

In his first at-bat, he still managed to get on base with a team hit. With the score tied at 0-0 in the second inning, he hit a grounder to the first baseman to help Carlos Santana advance to second base.

His second at-bat was less successful. Trailing 5-0 with one out in the fourth inning. Bae worked a 0B-1S count on a two-pitch knuckleball from St. Louis starter Flaherty, but it hit the walking track just in front of the centre field fence. The fielder who chased down Bae’s pitch and made the catch was Tommy Edmon, who played in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) with the Korean National Team in March. Edman, who played second base for Lee Kang-chul-ho, is a utility player who can play both infield and outfield.

In the sixth inning, down 0-5, he reached on a fielder’s choice with runners on first and second. Then, trailing 3-5 in the seventh, he had runners on second and third with one out, but fouled off Giovani Gallegos on an eight-pitch pitch to end the inning. The no-hitter dropped his season batting average from 2.7-for-5 to 2.6-for-8.

In baseball, where there’s offence, there’s defence. While Edman may not have been able to do his job offensively, he was a tremendous presence defensively. Like Edman, Bae, a utility player, started the game at second base before moving to centre field at the start of the eighth inning. He dominated the outfield in the eighth and ninth innings, earning applause from home fans and teammates.

With the score 7-5, Bae made a fantastic diving catch at first base in the eighth inning to rob Nolan Gorman of a hit. The ball was a little short, but Bae used his quick feet to sprint and then throw his body to make the super catch. Colin Holderman, on the mound, raised his right index finger in tribute to Bae’s heroics. 메이저놀이터

With the bases still loaded and the score 7-5 in the ninth inning, Hosmer made a leaping catch of Alec Burleson’s long fly ball off the walking track in front of the centre field fence. The home fans and local broadcasters went wild, and closer David Bednar applauded Bae. Bae returned the favour with a big smile.

Pittsburgh eventually beat St. Louis 7-5 to sweep the three-game series and complete a three-game winning streak. 29-27 on the season. Bae was silenced at every opportunity, but he made up for it with two spectacular lobbies and dominated the outfield at PNC Park to earn the honours.

Even if he doesn’t get a hit, he’s a hero. That’s what Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates) does, diving and jumping all over the outfield. Bae started at second base for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the sixth inning of their home game against the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, on…