Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton embraced Bae Ji-hwan after he made a defensive error in the top of the ninth inning the previous day.
Shelton shared his thoughts on Bae, who is batting first and second in the lineup, ahead of the Pirates’ home game against the New York Yankees on Sunday at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Bae missed a chance to end the game against the Yankees in the first game of the series the previous day when he was caught trying to complete a double play with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth inning.
“It’s part of being a big leaguer,” said Shelton, who put him in the same spot on the miscue. Baseball is a tough game.”
“Bae made an error late in the game, but at the same time, it was an unfortunate pitch that hit the pitcher in the head, but he hit the game-winning run. It was because of his at-bat that we were able to keep the game alive in the final inning,” he said, deflecting from Bae’s mistake.
“I don’t think we lost yesterday’s game because of that one mistake. There were a lot of other reasons. We didn’t capitalize when we had the opportunity, and we walked runners we shouldn’t have walked,” he said, emphasizing the unfairness of blaming the previous day’s loss on a single mistake.
“The big leagues are a tough place,” he reiterated, “and it’s very important for him to be back there today. He’s done well so far. We’ll keep an eye on him,” he said, expressing his faith in the player.
The coach had other concerns about Bae Bae-hwan.
“It’s very difficult emotionally to see another player down on the ground,” he said, adding that he was more worried about the fielding error than his earlier at-bat in the bottom of the sixth inning when he hit pitcher Anthony Misiewicz in the head.
“There have been games where we’ve made mistakes, but we’ve also had games where we’ve won because of good defense at second base and in the middle infield. Mistakes are part of the game, and you have to forget about them. But I’m worried about the other stuff,” he said, again showing concern for the mental impact on his players. 바카라
Meanwhile, Pittsburgh will face right-hander Luke Weaver today. They’ve faced Weaver twice before when he was with the Cincinnati Reds.
“It’s weird to go from facing a pitcher in the same district to facing a pitcher in a different district,” Shelton said, adding that “it’s going to be easier than it was before because I’ve gotten at-bats in real life situations.” Shelton is confident in his selection and matchup.