Veteran left-handed pitcher José Quintana (36) of the Milwaukee Brewers had 'black magic' that even 'lefty killer' Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) could not handle. Lee Jung-hoo, who hit easily against 100 mph fastballs, was struck out three times by slower pitches in the 120 km range.

On 23rd (Korean time), Lee Jung-hoo recorded no hits in four at-bats with one run and one walk, playing as the No. 3 batter and center fielder in the home game against the Milwaukee Brewers during the 2025 Major League Baseball season, bringing his season batting average down from .329 to .315 (28 hits in 89 at-bats).

Up until this game, Lee Jung-hoo had a batting average of .448 against left-handed pitchers this season (13 hits in 29 at-bats), including two home runs and an OPS of 1.241, but he was helpless against veteran lefty Quintana's black magic.

From his first at-bat in the first inning, Quintana disrupted Lee Jung-hoo's timing with his slider. On the fifth pitch, a low outside slider at 77.3 mph (124.4 km) induced a pop fly from Lee Jung-hoo, which the shortstop handled easily.

In the third inning, with two outs and runners on first and second, Quintana threatened Lee Jung-hoo with a high sinker on the first pitch. Lee Jung-hoo avoided the pitch but swung wildly. On the continued 2-2 count, Quintana threw another slider at 78.5 mph (126.3 km) low and outside, causing Lee Jung-hoo's bat to completely miss the ball, resulting in a strikeout, a swing that was unlike his usual style.

In the sixth inning, Quintana once again recorded an out against Lee Jung-hoo with the same pitch. On the 1-1 count, he threw a low outside slider at 78.5 mph (126.3 km) on the third pitch, and this time Lee Jung-hoo pulled the ball in front but hit a ground ball to first base, resulting in the lead runner being forced out at second.

Quintana effectively restrained not only Lee Jung-hoo but also other San Francisco batters. He pitched a quality start with 6 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 3 while giving up 1 run. He threw a maximum speed of 92.2 mph (148.4 km) and an average of 90.5 mph (145.6 km) with his sinker (36 throws), along with changeups (29), curves, and four-seam fastballs (12 each), and sliders (5). Although he did not throw any fastballs exceeding 150 km, he showcased a pitching style that relied on a variety of pitches to get batters out. Notably, he threw only 5 sliders that day, all directed at Lee Jung-hoo.

With Milwaukee's 11-3 victory, Quintana became the winning pitcher in all three of his outings this season. After signing a free-agent contract with Milwaukee for one year and $4.25 million in early last month, Quintana took time to prepare for the season and made his first appearance on 12th against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He started perfectly with a win after pitching 7 innings, allowing 4 hits, with no walks, striking out 2, and not allowing a run, and he followed that up with another victory against the Detroit Tigers on 17th with 5⅔ innings, allowing 4 hits (1 home run), 3 walks, 4 strikeouts, and giving up 1 run.

With three consecutive wins from his first three games of the season, according to 'MLB.com', it has been 17 years since a pitcher from the Milwaukee club achieved this feat since CC Sabathia in 2008. He has recorded an average ERA of 0.96 along with 3 wins, with the only Milwaukee pitcher having a lower ERA than this in the first three games being Tom Phelan (0.73 over 24⅔ innings with 2 earned runs) in 1988.

Outfielder Christian Yelich, who led Milwaukee to victory with 2 hits and 4 RBIs including his fifth two-run home run of the season, said, "Quintana is really good for our team. I’m seeing him now as the opposing pitcher we once faced."

Left-handed pitcher Quintana, who hails from Colombia, has played for a total of 8 teams since debuting with the Chicago White Sox in 2012, including the Chicago Cubs, LA Angels, San Francisco, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, and New York Mets, making his way to Milwaukee this year. Over 14 seasons in Major League Baseball, he has pitched in 362 games (336 starts), throwing 1,988⅓ innings while recording 105 wins, 103 losses, 6 holds, an ERA of 3.72, and 1,736 strikeouts.

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