Pittsburgh Pirates' Bae Ji-hwan contributed to the team's victory by showing his strengths in overtime.
Bae Ji-hwan started as the first hitter and second baseman in an away game against the 2023 Major League Baseball St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, on the 2nd (Korea Standard Time), recording 1 hit in 5 at-bats. His batting average for the season fell slightly from 0.240 to 0.239.
Pittsburgh set up its lineup in the order of Bae Ji-hwan (second baseman), Brian Reynolds (left fielder), Kibrian Hayes (third baseman), Connor Joe (right fielder), Zack Swinsky (center fielder), Endy Rodriguez (designated hitter), Riber Peguero (shortstop), Alfonso Rivas (first baseman), and Jason DeLay (catcher). The starting pitcher is Mitch Keller.
Bae Ji-hwan rarely changed the frustrating flow and continued to remain silent. He grounded out for three consecutive at-bats, and struck out in his fourth at-bat, relieving regret. Pittsburgh, which scored the first run with Rivas' RBI double in the top of the second inning, also rarely got an additional point, and the game went into a lull after Wilson Contreras' solo shot in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Eventually, the two teams entered extra time, and Pittsburgh broke the 1-1 balance in the top of the 10th inning. Pittsburgh, which made the first and third bases with no outs with Peguero's infield hit, took the lead with Andrew McCutchen's one-run timely hit, and later added one more point when the opponent threw a wild pitch. On top of that, Bae Ji-hwan, who appeared in the second base with one out, sent second baseman McCutchen to third base as he got on base with an infield hit, and Pittsburgh added one more point with Reynolds' sacrifice fly with one out and runners on first and third bases.
Bae Ji-hwan stole second base after replacing the pitcher, achieving his 22nd stolen base of the season. However, with two outs and runners on second base, Hayes struck out and failed to lead to a score. 토토
Pittsburgh, which entered the bottom of the 10th inning with a three-run lead, called in closer David Bedner. After Las Nooba's fly ball, Paul Goldschmidt's sacrifice fly gave the score, but the game ended as it ended with no additional runs. 4-2 Pittsburgh's victory. Coincidentally, the hits of Noobah, Goldschmidt, and Nolan Gorman all flew to Bae Ji-hwan, who moved the defensive position to center field.
Pittsburgh, which earned a valuable victory, marked 62 wins and 73 losses (0.459) and won four consecutive games. "Ace" Keller did his part with five hits (one homer) in six innings, three walks, eight strikeouts and one run, and the bullpen pitchers that followed performed a scoreless relay. Bedner, who was in charge of the bottom of the 10th inning, made 30 saves for the season.