It was a spectacular comeback game. He washed away concerns about a 9-month absence from competition with a 169 km/h bullet hit in his first at-bat.

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants got a hit in his first at-bat in the first game of the 2025 Major League Baseball exhibition season. After undergoing surgery for a shoulder injury last May and ending the season, Lee Jung-hoo reported a solid hit in his first game in 290 days.

On the 23rd (Korea Standard Time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the third center fielder in the exhibition game against the Texas Rangers, recording 1 hit and 1 strikeout in 3 at-bats. In defense, he comfortably made 3 outs. He was substituted in the bottom of the 5th inning.

On this day, the San Francisco lineup included Lamonte Wade Jr. (designated hitter), Marco Luciano (left fielder), Lee Jung-hoo (center fielder), Luis Matos (right fielder), Jake Lamb (first baseman), Sam Huff (catcher), Casey Schmitt (third baseman), Brett Wisely (second baseman), and Osleivis Basabe (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Lenden Ploof.

In response, Texas started Evan Carter (center fielder), Josh Smith (third baseman), Jake Burger (first baseman), Jock Pederson (designated hitter), Adolis Garcia (right fielder), Kyle Higashioka (catcher), Nick Ahmed (shortstop), Dustin Harris (left fielder), and Justin Foscue (second baseman). The pitcher was Tyler Mahle.

Mahle is a right-handed pitcher who has recorded 126 career games with 33 wins and 42 losses and an earned run average of 4.32. He had a career-high season in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds, recording 33 games (180 innings), 13 wins, and 6 losses with an earned run average of 3.75. He played for Texas in 2023 and 2024 but only pitched in 5 and 3 games, respectively, due to injuries.

Lee Jung-hoo stepped to the plate with two outs in the first inning. The preceding two batters were both out by strikeout. Lee Jung-hoo swung powerfully at Gordon’s first pitch, a 92.3 mph (148.5 km/h) fastball, and it became a one-bounce hit in front of the right fielder, just over the second baseman’s head. It was a bullet-like line drive with a speed of 105.1 mph (169.1 km/h). After reaching first base, Lee Jung-hoo was forced out at second base on Matos's grounder to the shortstop, ending the inning.

The San Francisco Giants took the lead 2-0 in the second inning with a two-run home run from Sam Huff.

Lee Jung-hoo had his second hitting opportunity in the third inning. He stepped to the plate with one out. The pitcher was right-handed fireballer Jack Leiter, son of legendary Al Leiter. The first pitch, a 98.8 mph fastball, was a strike, and the second pitch, a 98.5 mph fastball, was a ball. The third pitch, a curveball, was a ball, and the fourth pitch was a curve that broke low and inside, causing him to flinch and dodge. The fifth pitch resulted in a foul.

Lee Jung-hoo struck out swinging on the sixth pitch, a 89.2 mph slider that broke inside. He lost his balance and fell while trying to stop his swing. It was ruled a swing.

In his third at-bat in the fifth inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced the new pitcher, right-hander Jacob Webb. It was a scoring opportunity with one out and a runner on second base. After Webb was hit by Luciano’s hard grounder with no outs on first, he quickly threw to first base for the out. The game was briefly stopped for an injury check. Webb was not replaced due to any issues and continued pitching.

Lee Jung-hoo hit the first pitch, but it went foul towards first base. He swung and missed at the second pitch, a 93.8 mph four-seam fastball that came inside. On the third pitch, he hit a 94 mph fastball but was out on a grounder to first base. With two outs and a runner on third base, Matos hit a go-ahead single that fell in front of the right fielder, putting the team ahead 3-0.

In center field defense, Lee Jung-hoo showed no signs of his 9-month absence from competition. In the bottom of the first inning, Texas's leadoff hitter Carter hit a well-struck ball that went toward the left-center fence. Lee Jung-hoo ran well to track the ball and made the catch.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, he handled two fly balls. He caught Burger's ball and then quickly ran forward to catch Peterson's softly hit ball.