Was the batting average of 10% that high? Pittsburgh's Bae Ji-hwan has no hit again, batting average of 0.071. Two walks and two steals is not a medal
Sep 11, 2025
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Instead, he got two walks and stole two bases. At least he did his part. However, looking at this from a different perspective, it is the result of revealing that he is still not overcoming his weakness against hitting at the big league level.
Bae Ji-hwan started in left field in the away game against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland on the morning of the 11th (Korea time). It was his second start since he was called up to the big league in a surprise move on the 8th.
However, he failed to record a hit again this time. He went 0-for-2 with four at-bats and two walks. Pittsburgh also lost 1-2.
Bae Ji-hwan's batting average for the season decreased to 0.071 (1 hit in 14 at-bats). The batting average is less than 10%. No matter how little experience he has in big league games, this is shocking. Even if it is criticized as a batting average that does not fit the major league level, it cannot be argued.
Bae Ji-hwan appeared at the batter's box for the first time in the top of the third inning and played a full-count game against Baltimore starter Tyler Wells, but missed the bat on the high-course cutter (89.6 miles) that entered the sixth pitch.
He then appeared as a leadoff hitter in the top of the sixth inning and drew a straight walk from Wells. It was not a walk made because Bae Ji-hwan's pioneering plan was good. This is the result of Wells' sudden drop in control and failure to properly throw the ball into the strike zone. Three four-seam floats too high, and one change-up came in too low. Bae Ji-hwan stood still and got on base.
Bae Ji-hwan, who easily took the first base, successfully stole the second base at the subsequent Henry Davis at-bat, providing the team with a good scoring opportunity. It was Bae Ji-hwan's third stolen base of the season. However, since then, Jared Triolo and Spencer Horwitz have only hit a fly ball to center field and a ground ball to second base, respectively, and Bae Ji-hwan failed to return home.
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Bae Ji-hwan, who went to first base, succeeded in stealing second base with two outs and runners on first and third bases. However, again this time, the score was not achieved due to the failure of a follow-up hit. After the game entered overtime, Bae Ji-hwan faced another at-bat in the top of the 10th inning with two outs and a third base. This time, he grounded out in front of the pitcher.
In the end, Bae Ji-hwan still hasn't hit since the big league call-up, only showing that his weakness in hitting has not improved at all.
Bae Ji-hwan, who is already in his fourth year in the Major League this year, performed quite well in the spring camp in March. In 20 spring camp games, he marked a batting average of 0.381 (16 hits in 42 at-bats), one home run, four RBIs, 13 runs, three walks, three steals, and an OPS of 1.017 and proudly ranked first in the team's batting average, hits and scoring position on the opening roster.
However, after playing poorly in the big leagues, he went down to the minor leagues in just two games. It was a de facto demotion. Bae started in left field for leadoff against the Miami Marlins on March 30, his first appearance of the season, but went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
Then, in the match against Maiae on the 31st, he came out as a pinch runner, but played a chaotic base running, and finally recorded a base run at third base. In the end, Pittsburgh manager Derek Shelton, disappointed by this, immediately sent Bae Ji-hwan to the minor league.
Bae Ji-hwan, who went to the minor league Triple-A Indianapolis Indians, continued his batting average in his late-20s. Thanks to this, he was called up to the big league on May 10 and got a chance again. However, even at that time, he only hit 0.143 (1 hit in 7 at-bats) in five games, and was quickly notified of his move to the minor leagues.
Since then, it has been called up again in about four months, but nothing has changed from the previous one. He still has no hits, and his batting average for the season is less than 10%. There are still few at-bats given, so that may be an excuse. However, it would be more reasonable to think that Bae Ji-hwan's batting ability itself has not reached the level of the big league. The performance over the past three years is proving this.
In the end, with this problem not improving, it doesn't mean much if Bae Ji-hwan adds a walk or a stolen base. If the 'professional runner agent' is not the goal of Bae Ji-hwan, the weakness of the hit must be fundamentally resolved. At this rate, there is no place for Bae Ji-hwan in the Major League after all.
Reporter Lee Won-man wman@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
