San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) led a comeback victory with his first multi-home run of his debut.
On the 14th (Korea Standard Time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the third center fielder in a game against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in New York, USA, going 2-for-3 with 1 home run, 4 RBIs, 2 runs, and 1 walk.
In the top of the first inning with 2 outs, Lee Jung-hoo faced left-handed starting pitcher Carlos Rodón and hit a slider at 87.0 mph (140.0 km/h) on the 5th pitch, but it was caught by center fielder Kodi Bellinger as a line drive.
Entering his second at-bat in the fourth inning with San Francisco trailing 0-3 and 1 out, Lee Jung-hoo hit Rodón's 6th pitch, a slider at 85.5 mph (137.6 km/h), hitting a solo home run that cleared the right-center field fence. The exit velocity was 103.2 mph (166.1 km/h), and the distance was 406 feet (124 m).
In the sixth inning with 1 out and runners on 1st and 2nd base, Lee Jung-hoo hit another home run off Rodón. He lifted a curveball at 81.7 mph (131.5 km/h) for a three-run home run that cleared the right-center field fence. The exit velocity was 94.5 mph (152.1 km/h), with a distance of 363 feet (111 m).
Thanks to Lee Jung-hoo's performance, San Francisco completed the comeback to win 5-4, advancing to 11 wins and 4 losses with a winning percentage of .733, chasing the National League West leader San Diego (13 wins and 3 losses, winning percentage .813) by 1.5 games.
Lee Jung-hoo, who recorded a batting average of .304 in 884 games in the KBO League (3,476 at-bats, 1,181 hits), along with 65 home runs, 515 RBIs, 581 runs, and 69 stolen bases, recently succeeded in entering Major League Baseball by signing a six-year, $113 million contract (approximately 161.5 billion won) with San Francisco last season.
Highly anticipated in his Major League debut, Lee Jung-hoo unfortunately ended his season early due to a dislocated left shoulder injury after colliding with the outfield fence during a defensive play. His rookie season statistics included a batting average of .262 over 37 games (145 at-bats, 38 hits), with 2 home runs, 8 RBIs, 15 runs, and 2 stolen bases, which left him disappointed.
However, this year, after returning from injury, he has been delivering astonishing performances, thrilling fans. Lee Jung-hoo currently has a batting average of .352 over 14 games (54 at-bats, 19 hits) with 3 home runs, 11 RBIs, 16 runs, 3 stolen bases, and an OPS of 1.130.
This is the first time Yankees' left-handed ace Rodón has allowed 2 home runs in a game to a left-handed batter. The U.S. broadcasting team questioned this point during a post-game interview. Lee Jung-hoo noted, "That kind of record is not important," adding, "Rather, I am happy to contribute to the team winning. It’s great that the team can take a winning series and move on to the next away game."
New York is a city known by the nickname "The Big Apple." After racking up 4 hits, 3 home runs, and 7 RBIs in this three-game series against the Yankees, Lee Jung-hoo can leave New York with good memories as he heads to a four-game series against Philadelphia. In response to the broadcast team's joke about apples being his favorite fruit, Lee Jung-hoo replied, "My favorite fruit is peach," drawing laughter.
During this three-game series, New York experienced windy and cold weather. Lee Jung-hoo commented, "This is my first time experiencing such cold and rainy games. However, the opposing team is in the same situation. I believe mental strength is crucial in such games, so I focused on my mental game."
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