After Ji Hwan Bae hit a three-run home run for a 7-4 walk-off win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night at PNC Park, Ji-Man Choi approached his countryman in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse and asked to pose for a photo.
They stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Bae’s locker, sharing a smile after a historic game ended with hysterics after Bae’s blast, bat flip and home plate celebration.
The 23-year-old Bae and 31-year-old Choi became the first South Korean teammates in major league history to hit home runs in the same game. When asked about it, the eight-year veteran first baseman/designated hitter joked that the rookie second baseman stole his thunder.
“I feel very bad because I didn’t get the spotlight. He took it,” Choi said through translator Daniel Park. “All jokes aside, I feel very happy for him, and I knew he was going to do it for us.”
Ji Man Choi and Ji Hwan Bae are the first Korean born teammates to homer in the same game in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/jiHgfphtBL
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 12, 2023
Choi doubled in his first at-bat and gave the Pirates their first lead when, with the game tied at 2-2 in the sixth inning, he crushed Cristian Javier’s full-count fastball for a 418-foot blast that sailed over the right-field seats. It was his second consecutive game with a homer, a sign that he had found his groove following a rough start to the season.
Choi played in only five of the first nine games, going 1 for 19 as the Pirates opted to start Carlos Santana at first base and use Andrew McCutchen as the designated hitter.
FEED THE ALLEGHENY! pic.twitter.com/SApT2e95vw
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 12, 2023
In the first two games against the World Series champion Astros, Choi appeared to find his groove. He went 3 for 8 with a double and two solo homers, the first a 407-foot shot off a full-count curveball by Astros lefty Framber Valdez in an 8-2 loss Monday night.
The left handed-hitting Choi’s previous homer against a lefty pitcher came as a right-handed hitter, a solo shot off Toronto’s Anthony Kay on July 26, 2020. His last homer off a lefty from the left side of the plate came against the Texas Rangers, when Choi hit a two-out, three-run shot on Sept. 11, 2019.
Pirates manager Derek Shelton saw that Choi squared up on a couple of pitches Sunday against the Chicago White Sox as a sign that his swing was coming around, despite eight strikeouts in his first five games. Not that Shelton had much choice but to use Choi against a lefty after shortstop Oneil Cruz suffered a fractured left ankle.
“We’re probably going to have to see it a little bit just because of the fact with losing Cruz and then the flexibility of what we can do with our lineup,” Shelton said. “If not, besides the catcher, we had three left-handers on the bench (Monday night), so when we play against left-handers we’re going to have some left-handers in there.”
It helped Choi that he got to start in three consecutive games.
“I feel very happy about getting more playing time,” Choi said. “In general, I just feel great.”
Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in a trade last November, Choi came to the Pirates with a reputation as a good guy in the clubhouse and a fan favorite for his fun-loving antics in the dugout.
Your favorite player's favorite player. ???? pic.twitter.com/Hd07ducuDV
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 12, 2023
The Pirates traded for Choi to address their issues at first base, add a veteran voice for Bae and a left-handed power bat to their lineup. Choi is starting to show that he can do all three, and he joined in on the Pirates’ sword-swinging celebration in the dugout with some Samurai moves.
“There are a lot of young guys here, so little things like that, we can have a little fun in the dugout and also get momentum up,” Choi said. “I think the big difference compared to last year was the fact that there are a lot of veterans here with a lot of experience. Us older guys, we’re trying to tell the younger guys to keep on going, never give up.”
Even if it means one of them steals his spotlight.
