The spectacular batting of Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants), known as 'The Prince of the Wind,' left a chill in the hearts of Cy Young Award candidates. For 'Fireballer' Hunter Greene (26), who narrowly missed a complete game due to Lee Jung-hoo, it was the most breathtaking moment.
Greene started the game on the 8th (Korea time) at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory with 8⅔ innings pitched, giving up 4 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 7, while allowing no runs. With this win, Greene recorded his first win of the season, lowering his earned run average from 2.25 to 1.31.
He threw a total of 104 pitches, reaching a maximum speed of 100.7 mph (162.1 km/h) and an average of 99.1 mph (159.5 km/h) on his four-seam fastball (59 pitches), along with sliders (33 pitches) and splitters (12 pitches), effectively silencing the San Francisco lineup, which was on a 7-game winning streak.
There was a moment when Greene felt most tense, which was during the at-bat of Lee Jung-hoo in the bottom of the 6th inning with 2 outs and a runner on first. Lee hit a powerful ball on Greene's third pitch, a four-seam fastball that came in low at 99.6 mph (160.3 km/h), sending it to deep right-center field. It was struck so well that it seemed like a home run.
The ball soared at a speed of 103.7 mph (166.9 km/h) at an angle of 29 degrees but was caught by right fielder Brayan Bello right in front of the warning track in right-center field. The distance of the hit was 384 feet (117.0 m). With an expected batting average (xBA) of .850, it would have been a home run in 19 out of the 30 Major League parks. However, the unusually deep Oracle Park, with a distance of 415 feet (126.5 m) from home plate to the right-center fence, caused it to be an out.
It seems that Greene also felt it would be a home run the moment it was hit. In interviews with local media, including 'MLB.com', Greene noted, "The sound of the ball was good, but when it was caught, I felt like I was relieved. Everything went in my favor today, except for that hit. These are the best players in the world, so there have to be moments like that. That's why I felt more alive."
Lee Jung-hoo also thwarted Greene's complete game. With 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th and 91 pitches thrown, Greene was just shy of his second career complete game since 2022, but he gave up a single to Lee Jung-hoo in a full count battle. Lee pulled a four-seam fastball at 99.7 mph (160.5 km/h) that entered the lower outside zone on Greene's seventh pitch, turning it into a single.
The broadcast team of the San Francisco dedicated network 'NBC Sports Bay Area' praised, "Lee showed the best hitting of the night against Greene. It was a wonderful hit from Lee Jung-hoo," adding, "He hit the ball to the outside, not the one that was over the plate. Lee gave hope to the bench." They were astonished by Lee's ability to pull a well-placed fastball that wasn't a mistake pitch.
After conceding a hit to Lee Jung-hoo, Greene was replaced after allowing a walk to Matt Chapman. With a 2-0 lead, his pitch count rose to 104, and as the tying runner reached base, Cincinnati's manager David Bell took Greene out and brought in Tony Santillan. Elliott Ramos hit a ball that seemed likely to be a hit against Santillan, but left fielder Jacob Heyward made a diving catch, sealing Cincinnati's 2-0 victory. This marked the end of San Francisco's 7-game winning streak.
Although the game was lost, the San Francisco team acknowledged Greene's strong performance. Manager Bob Melvin said, "Even in the 9th, he threw at 100 mph (160.9 km/h), but today, particularly, his slider was excellent. Today was the best I've seen Greene so far." Cincinnati's starting pitcher Logan Webb, who pitched 7 innings with 4 hits, no walks, 10 strikeouts, and no runs but couldn't secure a win due to Greene, expressed his respect, saying, "I think Greene is one of the best pitchers in baseball. If he stays healthy, he likely would have won the Cy Young Award last year. He is a special player in the league, and we saw that tonight."
It's remarkable that it was Lee Jung-hoo who made such a pitcher uneasy. Following the home run-like hit and the single that thwarted the complete game against a Cy Young candidate, Lee Jung-hoo's batting form is on the rise. Though it is still early in the season, he is batting .333 with 12 hits in 36 at-bats, collecting 3 RBIs and scoring 10 runs with 3 walks and 6 strikeouts, posting an on-base percentage of .385, slugging percentage of .500, and OPS of .885. With 3 stolen bases and solid defense as a center fielder, he is truly excelling in all aspects of the game.
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