San Francisco Giants player Lee Jung-hoo fully showcased all of his abilities except for hitting a single in front of his role model Ichiro Suzuki.

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants started as the No. 3 center fielder in a spring training game against the Seattle Mariners held at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Arizona, on the 28th (Korean time).

Ichiro, who is currently serving as a special advisor to the owner of the Seattle Mariners after retirement, watched the San Francisco-Seattle spring training game from the Seattle dugout with the coaching staff. Ichiro also watched intently when Lee Jung-hoo stepped to the plate.

Lee Jung-hoo had previously met Ichiro and greeted him during a spring training game against Seattle held at Peoria Stadium last year. Bob Melvin, the San Francisco manager who spent time with Ichiro as the Seattle manager from 2003 to 2004, arranged the meeting between Lee Jung-hoo and Ichiro before the game. Lee Jung-hoo wears the number 51, which is Ichiro's jersey number. He strived to become a player resembling Ichiro by watching Ichiro's baseball videos when he was young.

Lee Jung-hoo recorded no hits in two at-bats, one walk, and one run scored, and was replaced in the defensive play in the fifth inning. Although he did not have a hit, there were many standout moments in both offense and defense.

In his first at-bat in the first inning, he faced right-handed pitcher Bryce Miller, who had 12 wins in Major League Baseball last year, and hit a home run ball that was caught right in front of the fence, sending a 96.9 mph (155.9 km/h) fastball to the outfield on the second pitch. There was a strong wind at Peoria Stadium that day, and without the wind, it could have been a home run. After the game, Lee Jung-hoo lamented, "If there hadn't been a headwind, it would have been a home run."

He went down looking on a breaking ball in a full count in the third inning, but in the fifth inning, with one out and a runner on first, he battled Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami, fouling off a 98 mph fastball, splitter, and cutter before earning a walk on the 10th pitch. Upon reaching first base, he sprinted from first to home on a double by the next batter, Luis Matos, and scored.

He made a play defensively as well. In the bottom of the fourth inning with two outs and a runner on first, he sprinted to catch a line drive from Ryan Bliss in right-center field, ending in a sliding catch. He barely caught it in the glove pocket, but the umpiring crew initially called it an out before reversing it to a triple after a four-man discussion.

Lee Jung-hoo, who underwent surgery on his left shoulder after crashing into the fence while trying to make a jump catch last year, said, "I caught it (without a bounce). The coaches asked the broadcast video staff to check, and they confirmed that I definitely caught it. The bounce was from within the glove. Since it's just a spring training game, it's alright," adding, "If I hadn’t dived, it would have been a ball I couldn't catch, so I made a sliding catch. I think it’s meaningful that I slid for the first time after the surgery. My shoulder is fine."

In the scene where he struck out and then earned a walk, he developed his ability to respond to various breaking balls. Lee Jung-hoo explained, "Fujinami throws a fast ball, and even a splitter drops significantly quickly. I think I handled the cutter decently. Although I didn't get a hit, I reached base with a walk. In my first at-bat, I had a well-hit ball, and in my second at-bat, I unfortunately struck out, but I feel like I'm getting used to the breaking balls. I thought the slider was going to drop down vertically, but it was a horizontal breaking ball. It didn't drop as much as I expected. Still, I can see the breaking balls bit by bit."

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