Choi gets his first hit in 2G since returning…Pittsburgh falls into ‘quagmire’ with 2-3 comeback loss to Arizona and 4-game losing streak

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Ji-Man Choi recorded his first hit since returning from the disabled list.

On Sept. 9 (ET), Choi went 1-for-4 from the fifth spot in the lineup against the 2023 Major League Baseball (MLB) Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Choi’s season batting average, which was 0.111 the day before, rose to 0.125.

After going 0-for-4 in Arizona on Aug. 8 in his first game back, Choi struggled to get a hit the next day. After striking out in his first at-bat, he hit a pitch straight to the pitcher and a grounder to the second baseman in his second and third at-bats, respectively, before heading to the dugout.

But Choi stepped to the plate with the bases loaded in the top of the 10th inning of the extra inning, pulling a six-pitch splitter from Arizona left-hander Scott McGuff for a single to right. Carlos Santana then stole second, and Choi, who had produced his first hit in eight at-bats since returning, was replaced by pinch-hitter Rodolfo Castro.

Choi has been frustrated by injuries since the beginning of the season. After tearing his left Achilles tendon in April, Choi spent more than two months recovering, playing minor league games since the 23rd of last month to get a feel for the game.

Choi’s minor league numbers so far this year are 9-for-31 with 10 doubles, three home runs, and nine RBIs for a .323 batting average and a whopping 1.146 OPS. While there were concerns about his long absence, Choi took the process of returning step by step and made a successful comeback. He will be a great addition to the team’s lineup in the second half.

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh fell to Arizona 2-3 in 10 extra innings. The Pirates took the lead in the top of the sixth inning on a Zack Swinski RBI double, but Alec Thomas tied the game at 1-1 with a solo shot in the bottom of the inning.온라인카지노

The Pittsburgh offense was content to draw a bases-loaded walk in the top of the 10th after Choi’s single, and reliever David Bednar gave up two runs in the bottom of the 10th to escape with the win.

Starter Mitch Keller was the ace of the show with seven innings of one-hit ball, five strikeouts and four walks, but he couldn’t get any run support from the offense and had to push his quest for his 10th win of the season to the second half. The loss dropped Pittsburgh to 40-49 (.449) on the season and snapped a four-game losing streak.