Park Hoy-jun of Pittsburgh Pirates Hits 1st MLB Home Run

Park Hoy-jun of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit his first Major League home run in a home game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.

With the team trailing 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning, the infielder halved the deficit with a solo homer in his second at-bat.

The homer came in his ninth game and 30th at-bat since being called up to the big leagues.

Park had one hit and one run from three at-bats, boosting his batting average to 0.310. He has four RBIs from one home run and four doubles in nine games.

But the Pirates lost the game 4-1.

"I don't consider myself a full-fledged MLB player, but I am gradually blending in. I'll keep playing hard for the team," Park said in a video interview after the game.

Park made his MLB debut with the New York Yankees in mid-July, some seven years after signing his first U.S. contract in 2014, and was traded to the Pirates later that month.