Lee Jung-hoo (27·San Francisco Giants) delivered on both offense and defense to break the Los Angeles Dodgers' resolve. Although the Dodgers suffered the ignominy of losing four consecutive games by at least four runs for the first time in 90 years, manager Dave Roberts acknowledged Lee Jung-hoo twice.
Lee Jung-hoo started in right field as the leadoff hitter in the away game against the Dodgers on June 13 (Korea time) at Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, and went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to lead San Francisco to a 6-2 victory.
He broke the Dodgers' will with a decisive blow in the seventh inning. With San Francisco leading 4-2 in the seventh with two outs and runners on first and second, he crushed a two-run double to right-center off Dodgers right-handed reliever Blake Treinen. After taking a ball on a two-strike count, he turned on a 95 mph (152.9 km/h) four-seam fastball on the fourth pitch and drove in both runners from first and second. After touching second base, Lee Jung-hoo raised his arm and let out a roar.
The Dodgers' broadcast team at SportsNet LA showed despair at that moment. Play-by-play announcer Joe Davis said, "We're on a three-game losing streak and to be down 6-2 in the seventh inning is hard to accept. It's even harder to accept that this is happening at Dodger Stadium. They had the home advantage in front of a full house, and the Giants are sucking that energy away," unable to hide his regret.
In a postgame interview, Roberts also mentioned the double that Lee Jung-hoo hit in the seventh. Roberts said, "(Treinen) had a favorable count, but he gave up a double to Lee Jung-hoo and he scored," expressing regret. In other words, Lee Jung-hoo overcame an unfavorable count.
Before his bat produced results, Lee Jung-hoo also stopped the Dodgers' momentum with his right-field defense. From the start of the first inning with one out and the bases loaded, the Dodgers' Will Smith hit a big ball to right. It looked like an extra-base hit the moment it connected, but Lee Jung-hoo was positioned in right field. He quickly tracked down a 106.5 mph (171.4 km/h) ball carrying over his head and made the catch in front of the fence. Third baseman Shohei Ohtani scored to give the Dodgers the first run, but with two outs and runners on first and second, Max Muncy popped out to third, so the Dodgers had to be content with one run from the bases-loaded chance.
Roberts recalled the Smith hit caught by Lee Jung-hoo and said, "If that had fallen, the game would have been different. Lee Jung-hoo made an outstanding play over his shoulder. I think it was a game-changing play," highlighting Lee Jung-hoo's defensive play that turned an 84% chance of a hit into an out. Had Lee Jung-hoo not made the catch, all three runners could have scored, and the Dodgers might have broken out of their early offensive slump and come alive.
The Dodgers, undone by Lee Jung-hoo on both offense and defense, suffered the season-high four-game losing streak that began with the Atlanta Braves on the 10th. According to MLB.com, this is only the second time in franchise history that the Dodgers have lost four consecutive games by at least four runs, the last time being July 2–5, 1936, a span of 90 years.
The pitching has not been bad, but the lineup's struggles have persisted. Hitting naturally fluctuates, but in the past 20 games the Dodgers have scored four runs or fewer in 15 of them. Roberts said, "When the leadoff hitter reaches second, you should move him to third and turn it into a run, but we're not hitting for extra bases, we're not stacking runners, and we're not putting pressure on," expressing regret.
Ohtani is part of the Dodgers' offensive slump. In May he hit .150 in 10 games (6-for-40) with one home run, four RBIs and an OPS of .511, a significant slump. He broke his silence with his seventh homer of the season in his 12th game, but internal evaluations say fatigue from full-time two-way play led to the hitting slump. Roberts also said he would give Ohtani sufficient rest.
Ohtani, who will start as the pitcher against San Francisco on the 14th, will get two days off from hitting through the May 15 game against the Los Angeles Angels. Roberts said, "Ohtani showed a good performance tonight. He will focus on pitching tomorrow (the 14th), take time to recover on the 15th, and then we hope he carries his hitting momentum into the road trips to Anaheim and San Diego."
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