Miles Mikolas (35, St. Louis) is the ace of the St. Louis Cardinals, and he had a great May. Despite a rough start to the season, he was one of the best starters in the majors in May.
The numbers speak for themselves. In six starts in May, Michaelis went 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA. His 38 innings pitched were the second-most in the league during that stretch, and his ERA was fifth. It was the kind of pitching that earned him a total of $85.25 million over eight years, through 2025, after being acquired by St. Louis in 2018.
With all of this momentum behind him, he took the mound to prevent the team from losing the series sweep. But his plans were shattered in the first inning. Bae Ji-hwan (24, Pittsburgh) came out swinging.
Bae, who was batting sixth in the lineup against the Cardinals at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, set the table in the first inning. One inning later, Reynolds and Swinski led off with back-to-back singles to right. Hayes followed with an infield hit that deflected off the first baseman, giving Bae the go-ahead run.
Bae had the last laugh in the game. He took a four-pitch fastball just off the side of his body and lined it up the middle for a single. Reynolds and Swinski both came around to score, and Hayes followed with an RBI double to center field. His 13th and 14th RBIs of the season came at once.
With one out, Bae looked to advance in his trademark style. With the bases loaded, he timed his opponent’s changeup perfectly. The curveball landed low and Bae, who was looking to steal second, slid into second base with ease. The opposing catcher, Andrew Kidner, didn’t even think to throw the ball. This was the key to a bloodless second base. It was an effortless steal, his 16th of the season.
In the second at-bat of the third inning, Bae Ji-hwan, who had rung up Michaelas, could only manage a grounder to second base for a 2-0 lead. The fifth inning was a different story, however, as the score remained 2-0. Two batters later, after Hayes singled, Bae faced Michaelas again, this time for seven pitches. With a full count, he had no choice but to go toe-to-toe, and when the ball came in on a similar pitch to his first at-bat, Bae’s swing came out like a thunderbolt.
Another well-struck pitch was lined to center field. It was a good hit with a 103.5 mph bat speed. With Hayes back at third, Bae fouled off Kidner again.
With Castro at bat, Bae, who was also trying to time his changeup, started up and stole another base when the ball was rebounded. It was his 17th stolen base of the season, and there was nothing Kidner could do. Michaelas was hit by a pitch twice in the same at-bat, and Kidner allowed two stolen bases in the same situation. The batter was swinging at Bae’s bat and feet.
No follow-up hits were forthcoming스포츠토토 and no runs were scored on the day, but Bae finished the game 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two stolen bases. He raised his season batting average to .274 from .268 and added two stolen bases on the day. Pittsburgh fell behind by one run after starter Rich Hill gave up a solo homer to Kidner in the seventh inning, but the Cardinals used the Moretta-Ramirez-Bednar lineup to hold on for a 2-1 victory.
It was the first time in five years that the Cardinals swept a three-game series against St. Louis since April 2018. Bae had the game-winning hit. MLB.com’s Gameday also recognized Rich Hill and Bae as the “Top Performers” of the game after the game.
Meanwhile, Tommy Edmon (St. Louis), who has been making back-to-back starts in center field, also played well. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the first inning. His defense was unwavering despite his unfamiliarity with the middle infield. However, it was not enough as the team lost 1-2.
