There's only one chance left. Pittsburgh leadoff starter Bae Ji-hwan couldn't beat the real MLB pitcher
Mar 23, 2025
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Major League Baseball (MLB) exhibition games will end soon. In the case of the Pittsburgh Fire League, the team will play the opening game of the 2025 season against the Miami Marlins on the 28th after completing the exhibition game against the Toronto Blue Jays (24th) and the Minnesota Twins (25th). It's an away game in Miami.
It's time to confirm the MLB opening entry. However, Pittsburgh has yet to determine the owner of a single outfield backup. There is a high possibility that it will be weighed until the end of the exhibition game.
Bae Ji-hwan has virtually only one chance left now. There are two games left, but there is not a great chance that all of them will play. There is a good chance that Swinsky will play alternately. A turnaround is needed in the last-minute test. It is currently lagging behind.
Bae Ji-hwan started instead of a competitor. He started in left field at the Baltimore Orioles and 2025 MLB exhibition game held at Lecombe Park in Bradenton, Florida on the 23rd (Korea time). He stayed on the bench against the Boston Red Sox the day before, but he was a starter on the day.
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This time, it was Bae Ji-hwan's turn. He had a chance to start the game against Baltimore on Sunday. Bae Ji-hwan was placed as the leadoff (first hitter).
Here, the Pittsburgh bench's intentions regarding Bae Ji-hwan and Swinsky's use are revealed.
He placed his fast feet in a position that makes the most of the advantage of Bae Ji-hwan. Originally, Bae Ji-hwan was rated very low in terms of hitting. This is because both the accuracy and power of the batting shown in the Major League at-bat were below the average level.
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Swinsky, on the other hand, was placed in the eighth batting order against Boston the previous day. Swinsky is apparently a player who has power heating as a strength. Although it is not used as a clean-up trio, it is a character who will show a strong shot in the bottom batting order.
That's why it's position 8. It can be seen that Pittsburgh will test the availability of Bae Ji-hwan and Swinsky at the end of the exhibition game in earnest.
Bae Ji-hwan lost here for now. Bae started against Baltimore on the 23rd, but had no hits and one strikeout in three times at bat. The batting average dropped to 0.410, which doesn't mean much to the numbers.
Instead, it is important that he was thoroughly beaten by Jack Applein, who was the opponent's starter on the day. Applein is a major leaguer. It is different from the pitchers Bae Ji-hwan has faced in exhibition games so far. He won the most wins (16 wins) in the 2023 season and also won 10 games last season. He boasts a total of 62 wins in nine seasons.
If Bae Ji-hwan had a meaningful fight at bat against such a pitcher, he would have deserved a better evaluation. However, real Major League pitchers have not been able to target properly.
In the first at-bat in the first inning, the bat was caught on the second change-up (about 142km) that came in from the ball count 1B, and he hit a ground ball to the first base.
Second match of the third inning. This time, he was tricked by a curveball inlet that dropped low from the unfavorable ball count of 1B2S. He managed to get it right, but it was a ground ball in front of the pitcher.
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Will Bae Ji-hwan have another chance. There is a good chance of that. There is a high possibility that he will start or replace at least one game in the remaining two exhibition games. It is unclear whether he will play in both games. He is likely to start alternately with Swinsky in one game. This is the last test. In the end, there is one chance, up to two. Only when a turnaround is achieved here, it is possible to enter the opening entry.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
