“Left-handed pitcher killer” Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) was shackled by a left-handed pitcher. He was stopped by Columbia native left-hander José Quintana (36), who has a career total of 105 wins in Major League Baseball.

Lee Jung-hoo started as the third batter and center fielder on the 23rd (Korea time) in a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers held at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, during the 2025 Major League Baseball season, going 0-for-4 with 1 run and 1 walk.

Despite succeeding in reaching base for the second consecutive game, Lee Jung-hoo returned without a hit, dropping his season batting average from .329 to .315 (28 hits in 89 at-bats). His OPS fell from .983 to .947.

Until the day of the game, Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of .448 against left-handed pitchers this season (13 hits in 29 at-bats) with 2 home runs and an OPS of 1.241, which was significantly better than against right-handed pitchers (batting average of .268, 1 home run, OPS of .854), but he couldn't handle veteran left-hander Quintana.

In the bottom of the first inning, Lee Jung-hoo was caught off-guard by Quintana's fifth pitch, a low outside slider at 77.3 mph (124.4 km/h), and popped out to the shortstop. In the bottom of the third inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, he struck out. Avoiding a sinker that came in high on the first pitch, Lee swung and missed, and after a 2-2 count, he swung and missed again at Quintana's fifth pitch, a low slider that bounced once at 78.5 mph (126.3 km/h). It was an unusual swing for Lee Jung-hoo, with a big gap between the bat and the ball.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Lee Jung-hoo was dealt a similar pitch again. With a 1-1 count, he pulled a low outside slider at 78.5 mph (126.3 km/h), but it resulted in a ground ball to first base, leading to the out of the lead runner at second base.

On this day, Quintana pitched 6 innings, allowing 6 hits and 2 walks while striking out 3 and conceding 1 run, silencing the San Francisco lineup and securing his third win of the season in his third game. His earned run average is also 0.98. Wilmer Flores had 3 hits in 3 at-bats with 1 RBI, and Elliott Ramos had 2 hits in 4 at-bats with 1 RBI, but along with Lee Jung-hoo, Luis Matos was silent with 0 hits in 4 at-bats.

After the game, the dedicated broadcasting network 'NBC Sports Bay Area' addressed the issues within the San Francisco lineup, which struggles against left-handed starters. In 9 games against left-handed starters this year, San Francisco has performed poorly with 2 wins and 7 losses. Their batting average against left-handed starters is just .198 with 6 home runs and an OPS of .621.

Sean Estes, an analyst with a background as a pitcher, noted, “Before today’s game, Lee Jung-hoo’s batting average against left-handed pitchers was .448, but it wasn’t good today. The entire lineup struggled. San Francisco's record against left-handed starters this year is poor, which could be a significant problem.”

Estes continued, “This year, San Francisco has only managed to successfully attack two left-handed starters. One of them is Carlos Rodón (New York Yankees), against whom Lee Jung-hoo hit two home runs,” and added, “They have struggled against left-handed starters who throw changeups, such as Christopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies), Tyler Anderson, and Yusei Kikuchi (both Los Angeles Angels), and even Quintana today. If they aren't facing left-handers who throw fastballs, they need to abandon inside pitches and target outside ones.”

Since it’s still the early part of the season, San Francisco's weakness against left-handed starters may be a temporary phenomenon. However, if this issue is not easily resolved and is a structural problem, opposing teams may target left-handed starters against them. In that regard, Lee Jung-hoo's presence, who is strong against left-handed pitchers, becomes even more important. Although he was stopped by Quintana today, Lee Jung-hoo still maintains a batting average in the .400s (.406) against left-handed pitchers. His OPS is also 1.143, which ranks first on the team and corresponds to 17th and 19th in the league overall.

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