Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), who used Gocheok Dome as his home field, left American media in awe as he hit a home run through the bad weather in New York.

Lee Jung-hoo started as the No. 3 center fielder in the first game of a three-game interleague series against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, on the 12th (Korean time), and led the team to a strong victory with a score of 9-1 in the 6th inning, achieving 1 hit, 1 home run, 3 RBIs, 2 walks, and 2 runs while batting.

He swung his bat hard right from the first at-bat. With Mike Yastrzemski and Willy Adames setting the table with a double and a walk for runners on first and second with no outs, Lee, making his debut at Yankee Stadium, seized the opportunity and took the lead with a three-run home run off Yankees starter Marcus Stroman.

In the pouring rain, Lee Jung-hoo targeted Stroman's third pitch, an 89.4 mph (143 km/h) sinker that came over the plate, and connected with it for a home run to right field. The ball was hit at 100.5 mph (161 km/h) and traveled 387 feet (117 m). This was his long-awaited home run after 12 games of the season.

After going out as a ground out to shortstop in the second inning with a significant lead of 5-0, Lee returned as the leadoff batter in the fifth inning, leading 5-1, and worked a walk against Ian Hamilton, enduring a remarkable nine-pitch battle. He faced a count of 1B-2S and did not react to the ninth pitch, a high four-seam fastball.

Lee Jung-hoo progressed from second base to third base due to walks by Matt Chapman and LaMonte Wade Jr. and took responsibility for scoring by utilizing his speed to reach home on Wilmer Flores' ground ball to the pitcher.

Lee Jung-hoo's keen batting continued. With an 8-1 lead in the sixth inning and no outs, he faced a chance with runners on first and second. Meeting Yoendris Gomez, he calmly worked a straight walk, achieving his third on-base appearance. Although the fourth pitch was an 89.7 mph (144 km/h) four-seam fastball that came deep inside, he avoided being hit and walked to first base without injury.

After tasting his first success of the season, Lee Jung-hoo raised his batting average from .333 to .340. His OPS also increased from .908 to 1.000.

Major League Baseball's official website, MLB.com, remarked after the game, "Lee Jung-hoo has hardly played in such bad weather in his home country of Korea. His former team, Kiwoom Heroes, uses Gocheok Sky Dome as their home field. That's why this home run feels even more impressive."

On that day in New York, heavy rain began before the game, causing a roughly 30-minute delay. Even after the game started, the rain continued to fall; however, since the interleague matchup between the National League's San Francisco and the American League's Yankees had to proceed, the game was carried on without cancellation. Considering the league's schedule and flight times, rescheduling was essentially impossible.

Lee Jung-hoo stated through an interpreter, "If it had been the KBO League, the game wouldn’t have even started in such conditions as today. The KBO League often cancels games due to rain."

The manager also applauded Lee Jung-hoo's first home run, achieved through the heavy rain. San Francisco's Bob Melvin commented, "It was truly a wonderful moment. I also did not let that moment go unnoticed. Everyone has heard about Yankee Stadium. Lee Jung-hoo had never played here before, and he faced a challenging environment, but he hit a home run with two runners on base. He brought great energy to the team right from the first inning."

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