“(To the left) Hoo, (to the right) Lee, (to the back) Gans!”
On the 8th (Korea time), during the broadcast of the Major League Baseball (MLB) game between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds held at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, fans wearing wigs resembling fireworks were repeatedly captured.
Those wearing T-shirts with ‘HOO LEE GANS’ (Hooligans) emblazoned on their chests rallied together, chanting synchronized cheers as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) made a sliding catch.
Their identities were revealed to be a fan club organized by local fans in San Francisco to support Lee Jung-hoo.
Naming their fan club ‘Hooligans,’ a compound of the English spelling of Lee Jung-hoo’s name and the term for soccer enthusiasts, they arranged to have exactly 51 members attend the game to match Lee Jung-hoo’s jersey number, 51.
The passionate cheering of the ‘Hooligans’ became a topic of conversation locally. The broadcast cameras captured them each time Lee Jung-hoo came to bat, and after the game, numerous posts in social media questioned their identities.
Kyle Smiley, the representative of the fan club, noted in an interview with local media, “Originally, we planned to visit the stadium last year to coincide with Lee Jung-hoo’s game, but due to injury, we ended the season early and have only now been able to visit.”
He also added that their outfits reflect the unique characteristics of the San Francisco area, known for its excellent fashion sense and love for fabulous wigs.
San Francisco is actively using Lee Jung-hoo for marketing.
During the series against the Seattle Mariners held at Oracle Park from the 5th to the 7th, the outfield section 142 was designated as ‘Lee Jung-hoo Zone,’ and fans who purchased tickets for this section received ‘Jung-hoo Crew’ T-shirts.
As soon as the official event organized by the team ended, a fan club spontaneously organized by fans emerged.
Smiley said, “Supporting Lee Jung-hoo is not a competitive relationship with the team. We will actively cooperate to conduct joint cheering events with the team in the future.”
After ending last season early due to injury, Lee Jung-hoo is living up to expectations with nine consecutive games on base and eight consecutive hits since the start of this season.
As of the game on the 8th, his statistics show a batting average of 0.333 (12 hits in 36 at-bats), and he leads the entire MLB in this institutional sector with six doubles.
After the game ended, Lee Jung-hoo, who saw the cheering scenes of the ‘Hooligans’ late, said, “Even though it was a short period last year, I felt a lot of love,” adding, “I really appreciate feeling the fans' love upon my return this year.”