There was a time when the Milwaukee Brewers believed they had more first basemen than they knew what to do with. In 2018, the Brewers boasted the power capabilities of Eric Thames, Jesus Aguilar, and Ji-Man Choi. With Thames and Aguilar hitting well and being in need of other infield help, the Brewers made the decision to trade Choi to the Tampa Bay Rays for Brad Miller. After four seasons with the Rays, Choi signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates as a free agent this offseason. On Tuesday, Choi and teammate Ji Hwan Bae made history in the Pirates’ 7-4 win over the Houston Astros.
Former Milwaukee Brewers First Baseman Ji-Man Choi and Pirates Teammate Are First Korean-Born Teammates to Homer in Same Game
In the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game, Choi hit a solo home run to give the Pirates a 3-2 lead. Pittsburgh led 4-2 in the ninth inning, but Houston’s Chas McCormick hit a two-run double to tie the game in the top of the ninth.
With the score tied 4-4 in the bottom of the inning, Bae came up to the plate with two runners on. He launched a three-run home run to give the Pirates the 7-4 victory.
Interestingly, Bae’s blast also made him and Choi the first Korean teammates to homer in the same game in Major League history:
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 is off to an otherwise slow start this season. He is hitting just .148/.148/.407 with two home runs and two RBI.
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