The Pittsburgh Pirates' South Korean infielder Bae Ji-hwan has gone deep for the first time in his major league career.
Bae launched a two-run home run over the famed Green Monster at Fenway Park in Boston on Tuesday (local time), giving the Bucs a 2-1 lead in the top of the second inning.
Bae, batting eighth and playing second base, smoked a 1-1 fastball from Nick Pivetta to flash some opposite field power, as the ball just cleared the top of the wall in left field.
The Pirates went on to win the game 4-1. Bae didn't have a hit the rest of the game, as he struck out swinging in the fourth, grounded out in the seventh and flied out in the ninth.
For the season, Bae is batting .214/.267/.500. Along with the homer, Bae has a double and two stolen bases.
The one other South Korean player for the Pirates, Choi Ji-man, got the start as the designated hitter in this game and went 0-for-4. Choi, who was traded by the Tampa Bay Rays to the Pirates last November, is batting only 1-for-12 with five strikeouts in four games for his new club.
This was Bae's 14th career big league game. He made 10 appearances as a late-season callup in 2022, and then made the Opening Day roster at the start of this season.
The ball left Bae's bat at 102 miles per hour and traveled 359 feet at a launch angle of 26 degrees, according to Statcast.
Source: Yonhap News Agency