One ball was enough. In his first at-bat, he hit a 169 km/h bullet single that dispelled concerns about a 9-month absence from live action.
Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants recorded a hit in his first at-bat during the first game of the 2025 Major League Baseball spring training. On the 23rd (Korea time), he started as the center fielder in a spring training game against the Texas Rangers at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
He recorded 1 hit in 3 at-bats with 1 strikeout. After hitting a single in his first at-bat in the first inning, San Francisco's beat reporters remarked, "Wow, hitting a single on the first pitch!" In the bottom of the first, a hit by Texas's leadoff was caught by a spectacular catch, unafraid of hitting the fence.
Manager Bob Melvin praised Lee Jung-hoo's performance, noting it was "a successful day," especially commending the defensive play of catching the ball in front of the fence.
San Francisco's starting 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 Schmidt (third baseman), Brett Wisely (second baseman), and Osleivis Basabe (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Lenden Ruff.
Texas's starting pitcher was Tyler Mahle, a right-handed pitcher with a career record of 33 wins and 42 losses over 126 games in Major League Baseball, featuring an earned run average of 4.32. He had his best season in 2021 with the Cincinnati Reds, recording 13 wins and 6 losses over 33 games (180 innings) with an earned run average of 3.75. After joining Texas, he only pitched in 5 games and 3 games in 2023 and 2024 due to injuries, respectively.
San Francisco's first two batters struck out in the first inning. After two outs, Lee Jung-hoo made a single off Mahle's first pitch, a 92.3 mph (148.5 km/h) fastball. The ball traveled at a speed of 105.1 mph (169.1 km/h), marking his first hit in 290 days since May 9 of last year against Colorado. After reaching first base, Lee was forced out at second base when Matos hit a ground ball to the shortstop, ending the inning.
Leading 2-0 in the third inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced right-handed pitcher Jack Leiter after one out. The first pitch, a 98.8 mph fastball, was a strike, while the second pitch, a 98.5 mph fastball, was a ball. The third pitch, a curveball, was a ball, and the fourth pitch, another curveball, was a low ball inside. The fifth pitch was a foul. Lee fell after losing his balance trying to stop on the sixth pitch, an 89.2 mph slider, resulting in a strikeout. The umpire ruled it a swing.
In the fifth inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced right-hander Jacob Webb in his third at-bat with one out and a runner on second base. After Webb was hit by a powerful ground ball from Luciano with no outs, he quickly threw to first base to get the out. The game was halted briefly for an injury check, but Webb was fine and continued pitching.
Lee Jung-hoo hit the first pitch foul toward first base. He swung and missed the second pitch, a 93.8 mph four-seam fastball, and hit the third pitch, a 94 mph fastball, resulting in a ground ball out to first base. Lee was substituted in the fifth inning and finished the game.
In the bottom of the first inning, Lee Jung-hoo made a fantastic catch, unafraid of colliding with the fence, on a line drive hit by Texas's top batter Evan Carter. The ball had a velocity of 103.7 mph (about 167 km/h). Having suffered a shoulder injury from colliding with the fence last year, Lee sprinted towards the fence and made the catch just in front of it, demonstrating an impressive defensive play that showed no signs of trauma from the past injury.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, he handled two pop-up hits effectively. He caught Burger's hit by coming forward, and then quickly dashed forward to catch Pederson's slightly misdirected hit.