San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo gave an outstanding performance. However, the record could have been even better if not for the opponent's excellent defense. Chicago Cubs' Pete Crow-Armstrong demonstrated why he is currently a representative 'prospect' in Major League Baseball.

On the 7th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo made the starting lineup as the third center fielder in the '2025 Major League' game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, and contributed significantly with 3 hits (1 home run), 3 RBIs, and 2 runs scored in 6 at-bats, leading his team to a 14-5 victory after extra innings.

Lee Jung-hoo's season batting average rose from .330 to .312, and his On-base Plus Slugging (OPS) also increased to .871. His slugging percentage dropped to .485 but rebounded to .507.

It started in the second at-bat of the third inning. He overcame a blown call. Facing Cubs pitcher Colin Rea, Lee Jung-hoo began the at-bat with 1 out and a runner on first base and a 2-ball count. The third pitch, a 93.3 mph fastball, was called a strike, even though it was outside the strike zone. The count became 2 balls and 1 strike. However, Lee Jung-hoo remained unfazed and crushed the next pitch, a 93.9 mph fastball down the middle, driving a two-run home run over the right fence, with an exit angle of 24 degrees and a ball speed of 105.4 mph.

This was his fourth home run of the season, which came 23 days after he hit a multi-home run game on the 14th in a road game against the New York Yankees. Coincidentally, all of his home runs have been hit in away games. The ball, which traveled 385 feet, would have been a home run in 28 of the 30 Major League stadiums. However, it would not have been a home run at his home park, Oracle Park.

Having hit a long ball, Lee Jung-hoo sought to continue his streak. In the top of the fifth inning, with 1 out and no runner on base, he faced a favorable count of 2 balls and 1 strike against an 87 mph cutter. This time, he sent a ball—again with an exit angle of 24 degrees—flying to right-center at a speed of 98.2 mph. However, center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong appeared and made a sliding catch, robbing him of a hit. The expected batting average was .390. A double was taken away.

The broadcasting team of 'NBC Bay Area,' which covers the San Francisco games, noted, "He has an impressive defensive range. He sprinted across the field to field the ball as if he were going to swallow it. You could see how quickly he moved to catch Lee Jung-hoo's batted ball. As the ball was slightly elevated, Crow-Armstrong had time to make the catch. His movements were almost like floating," praising Crow-Armstrong's defensive skills while lamenting Lee Jung-hoo's lost double.

In his third at-bat in the seventh inning, Lee Jung-hoo sent the ball to the left side. With 1 out and no runners on, he faced the Cubs' third pitcher, Brad Keller. After falling behind in the count with 2 strikes, he fought back, fouling off a pitch and then drawing the count full. Ultimately, Lee Jung-hoo made contact with Keller's 97.2 mph fastball, sending it into left-center for a base hit.

It had the potential to be a double. However, once again, Crow-Armstrong quickly covered left-center and made an accurate throw to second base. Although Lee Jung-hoo had the intention to reach second base, he gave up after witnessing Crow-Armstrong's agile defense.

The broadcast team mentioned, "If it were another center fielder in the league, Lee Jung-hoo would have recorded 3 hits with 1 home run and 2 doubles. But Crow-Armstrong is one of the center fielders with the broadest defensive range in Major League Baseball," praising his performance.

They further commented on Lee Jung-hoo's hitting, stating, "He faced numerous challenging pitches until he got his hit, persevering through a nine-pitch at-bat and eliciting the fastball he wanted. His hitting was truly excellent."

In the 11th inning, while leading 8-5, Lee Jung-hoo delivered a game-winning hit to right field with the bases loaded, completing a 3-hit, 3-RBI game. However, if Crow-Armstrong hadn't caught the ball he hit into right center in the fifth inning, it could have been his first 4-hit game in Major League Baseball. Crow-Armstrong, a left-handed outfielder, was selected 19th overall by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 draft. He joined the Cubs during the Javier Baez trade in July 2021. Notably, even during his time in the minor leagues, he was highly regarded as a top outfield prospect, receiving a perfect score of 80 for his defensive skills on the 20/80 scouting scale. While there were some doubts about his hitting ability, he reached 28th in the MLB Pipeline prospect rankings for 2023 and became the Cubs' top prospect.

He experienced Major League Baseball in 13 games in 2023, and last year he made his mark with a .237 batting average (88 hits in 372 at-bats) across 123 games, hitting 10 home runs, driving in 47 RBIs, and stealing 27 bases, with an OPS of .670. He did not quite meet expectations.

However, this season, he has blossomed in both fundamental defense and hitting. With a batting average of .271 (38 hits in 140 at-bats), 9 home runs, 26 RBIs, and 28 runs scored in 36 games, he has emerged as an All-Star-level prospect.

In particular, his defensive ability, which had earned him high praise since his time in the minor leagues, has maintained its value in Major League Baseball. The defensive evaluation metric OAA (Outs Above Average) from 'Baseball Savant' shows a +7, placing him first among center fielders and also ranking first overall in Major League Baseball. When summing the OAA figures from last year to this year, his defensive performance ranks third overall in the league and first among center fielders.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, whose father Matthew John Armstrong and mother Ashley Crow are both Hollywood actors, may have to compete with Lee Jung-hoo for the National League All-Star spot. His WAR (Wins Above Replacement) from 'FanGraphs' is 2.1, slightly ahead of Lee Jung-hoo's 1.7.

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