Korean third baseman Jae-Gyun Hwang made his MLB debut for the Giants during Wednesday's win over the struggling Rockies. The Giants signed the 29-year-old over the winter, and he started the season in Triple-A, where he hit a solid .287/.333/.476 with seven home runs in 68 games. The Giants called him up to prevent him from becoming a free agent via an opt-out clause in his contract.
Hwang picked up his first MLB hit, and it was a big one. He swatted a go-ahead solo home run against Rockies lefty Kyle Freeland in the sixth. Hwang sat fastball in a 2-0 count, got it and unloaded.
Here's the video:
Not a bad way to get your first big league hit.....
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) June 28, 2017
Jae-gyun Hwang gives the @SFGiants a 4-3 lead!https://t.co/E8JdoW0m3fpic.twitter.com/G2mlOWdi2Q
Notice the bat flip, or lack thereof. Hwang simply dropped his bat in front of the plate. His bat flips in Korea were the stuff of legend. Extravagant bat flips are frowned upon in MLB, , so Hwang promised to scale back, and he did. Lame! Let the man flip his bat.
Anyway, Hwang's MLB debut is a big deal in Korea. The game is being broadcast there and plenty of fans are watching. Here's the Korean broadcast call of Hwang's dinger:
Here is the Korean call of Jae-Gyun Hwang's 1st MLB home run (MBC Sports+). What a moment! #MLB #Giants pic.twitter.com/huUXpjNGIB
— Sung Min Kim (@sung_minkim) June 28, 2017
Hwang, by the way, hit .335/.394/.570 with 27 home runs for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization last season. The Giants have the second-worst record in baseball this season, so contention is a long shot. They'll use the rest of the season to evaluate Hwang and determine whether he can be their starting third baseman.
