Awesome! Bae Jihwan has another chance. Manager change Pittsburgh, utility man Bae Ji-hwan call up in a surprise move
May 10, 2025
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The first step of the coach, who took the helm of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was to bring Bae Ji-hwan (26) to the Major League. It is evidence that the previous coach undervalued Bae Ji-hwan.
The pleasure of entering the opening entry of the Major League also came to a new opportunity for Pittsburgh utility man Bae Ji-hwan, who was notified of his trip to the minor league after only two games and four at-bats. You must take advantage of this opportunity to become a regular major leaguer. On the contrary, if you miss this opportunity, you can say goodbye to the big league stage forever.
The Pittsburgh club called up Bae Ji-hwan. The entry was partially changed ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) home game against the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on the 10th (Korea time).
As infielder Enmanuel Valdez, who shows symptoms of shoulder inflammation, is listed on the 10-day injured list, outfielder Bae Ji-hwan naturally fills the vacancy. As a result, Bae Ji-hwan was included in the opening 26-man entry and returned to the big league 36 days after he was notified of his trip to the minor league on April 4. First of all, you have to wait on the bench for the game on the 10th and watch your teammates play.
Bae Ji-hwan's surprise call-up is the work of new director Don Kelly, who took the helm. Pittsburgh fired coach Derek Shelton the day before and promoted Kelly, who was a bench coach, to the new coach.
The reason is because of the grades. Coach Shelton has not made any achievements in leading the team for six seasons. Pittsburgh has long been in the last place in the NL Central. The same is true this year. He has been in a slump for seven consecutive losses since the Chicago Cubs on the 2nd. As a result, he is struggling at the bottom of the NL Central League with 12 wins and 26 losses (0.316 winning percentage). It is 6.5 games apart from the Cincinnati Reds (fourth place) at the top level.
As a result, the Pittsburgh leadership decided that they could no longer trust Shelton. The alternative was to promote Kelly, who has contributed as a bench coach for the past five years on the team, to head coach.
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Bae Ji-hwan entered the opening entry thanks to his better-than-expected performance with a batting average of 0.381 (16 hits in 42 at-bats) and an OPS of 1.017 during the last spring camp. However, he recorded no hits and three strikeouts in two games and four at-bats since the opening. He even failed to steal a base. Then, the former Shelton manager gave no more opportunities and immediately sent Bae to the minor leagues.
Bae Ji-hwan was sluggish in the beginning, perhaps due to the shock of going to the minor leagues. However, it was gradually coming to life by playing games. He hit .258 (24 hits in 93 at-bats) with one homer, six RBIs and an OPS of .719. He also had a hit in nine consecutive games. Attention is focusing on whether Bae Ji-hwan will be able to run for a long time in his second big league chance.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
