'Son of the Wind' Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) drew attention with his shining defense as well as his batting. The reckless baserunning of two-time MVP Bryce Harper (33, Philadelphia Phillies) led to Lee Jung-hoo's first assist of the season.

On the 16th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the third batter and center fielder in the away game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, California, in 2025, recording 2 hits out of 4 at-bats, including a double, 1 RBI, and 1 run.

The day before (15th), Lee Jung-hoo was silent with no hits and 3 strikeouts in 5 at-bats against Philadelphia, but he exploded with multi-hits, including a long hit, just one day later, raising his season batting average to .333 (21 hits in 63 at-bats) and OPS to 1.051. Although San Francisco lost in a comeback 4-6, Lee Jung-hoo's presence stood out in both offense and defense.

That day, he recorded his first assist of the season. In the bottom of the 3rd inning with one out and a runner on first, Lee Jung-hoo chased a fly ball hit by Philadelphia's Kyle Schwarber that flew toward the warning track in center field and made a strong, accurate one-bounce throw to get the runner Harper, who tagged up from first to second, out. This marked Lee Jung-hoo's first assist of the season. Last year, he recorded 1 assist in 37 games.

The 'NBC Sports Bay Area' broadcast team, which exclusively covered San Francisco, said, 'Lee Jung-hoo's throw was accurate, and Harper was tagged out. I don't know why he ran like that, but Lee Jung-hoo was prepared. He was not surprised at all,' and praised him, stating, 'Gifts should be received on that spot. Lee Jung-hoo did well.' This was a compliment to Lee Jung-hoo's focus in quickly continuing the next play without getting complacent.

Even after moving to Lee Jung-hoo's at-bat in the top of the 4th inning, the praises for his defense continued. The broadcast team said, 'Lee Jung-hoo still hasn't gotten a hit in this series. He must have been eager to get a hit, but he just showed an amazing throw. Pitcher Justin Verlander sent two runners in one inning, but both were out at second base. One was a failed stolen base, and the other was caught by Lee Jung-hoo's throw. Good pitching and clean defense are elements we've been emphasizing since entering this season's camp,' explaining that stable defense is a factor for San Francisco's upward trend early in the season.

The broadcast team continued, 'Lee Jung-hoo still hasn't gotten a hit, but he showed his presence in the outfield. He made the plays that needed to be made in the outfield accurately. He made a good throw to second baseman Tyler Fitzgerald. If you pull the ball out immediately and throw it on a long bounce, the second baseman can catch it and tag the runner easily.'

'NBC Sports Philadelphia,' which exclusively covered Philadelphia, also pointed out Harper's recklessness. At the moment this situation arose, the broadcast team noted, 'Lee Jung-hoo was ready to chase the high fly ball toward the center fielder. Harper aimed for second base, but was caught by Lee Jung-hoo's throw. It was a somewhat reckless baserunning play.'

Lee Jung-hoo's RBI single in the top of the 8th inning also drew admiration from the broadcast team. In a situation with no outs and runners on first and third, he faced Philadelphia's left-handed hard thrower Jose Alvarado in an 8-pitch battle, driving a 100 mph (160.9 km/h) high sinker for an RBI single to right field. After a ball count of 1-2, he fought hard to a full count, cutting sinkers and cutters in pitches 5-6, and finally attacked the high borderline sinker. Although it was a caught ball, Lee Jung-hoo managed to get an RBI single without losing power.

The NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast team said, 'Lee Jung-hoo's incredible hit came again. He accurately hit the space created as the second baseman went to cover. Lee Jung-hoo's resilience shown in this at-bat was really impressive. The ball count went from 1-2 to a full count, and in the end, he hit a 100 mph sinker,' and they didn't hold back their praise.

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