Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh Pirates), who was unable to make the baseball team for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, expressed his desire for the Taegeuk symbol.스포츠토토
Bae Ji-hwan, who finished the MLB regular season, returned to Korea through Incheon International Airport on the 11th.
When asked if he wanted to participate in the Asian Games, he said, “I have never played in Korea and I have been criticized a lot in the past, so the Korean baseball team will be very reluctant.” “I want to do my best for the team,” he said.
Still, he said, “I’m greedy,” and added, “It’s every baseball player’s dream to represent the national team.”
Bae Ji-hwan was summarily indicted on a fine of 2 million won for assaulting his girlfriend in 2017, and was suspended for 30 games by the Major League Baseball (MLB) office in the 2019 season.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) viewed this as a reason for disqualification from the national team and excluded Bae Ji-hwan from the preliminary list for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Even though he did not make the national team, Bae Ji-hwan had a meaningful season in the big league this year.
Bae Ji-hwan, who began his minor league career in 2018, became a full-time starter in the big league this year, appearing in 111 games and posting a batting average of 0.231 (77 hits in 334 at-bats), 32 RBIs, 54 runs, and 23 stolen bases.
However, it was disappointing that he had a gap of nearly 6 weeks due to a left ankle sprain in July and was unable to maintain the momentum from the beginning of the season in batting.
Bae Ji-hwan also expressed regret, saying, “My goal was to play a full season, but I couldn’t do that because I got injured,” and added, “I definitely want to play (all games) next year without getting hurt.”
However, regarding the 24 stolen bases, the most on the team, he smiled and said, “Still, I think 24 was a lot for a rookie,” and wittily added, “My father is fast. I think it’s because of my DNA.”
At the same time, he scolded himself, saying, “I learned that sometimes you have to slow down in baseball because speed alone is not enough to play. Since I can only play once I get out there, I think a lot about hitting well.”
Regarding next season, he said, “It seems like a big task to play consistently like a big league player,” and said, “I really want to stay in the major league and play fall baseball next year.”
When asked to give advice to Jeong-hoo Lee (Kiwoom Heroes), who is about to advance to the major league, he said, “I think I need to learn about baseball since I am qualified to challenge as the best player in Korea.” “I hope there will be more. I hope Jung-hoo hyung gets a good contract soon too.”
He, who is scheduled to marry an ordinary woman in early January next year, expressed his affection and said, “She has a pretty heart and a pretty face. There is nothing lacking in her,” and added, “Although I am still young, I thought, ‘We can live together until I die.'”