San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) broke a连续无安打的沉默 with a hit and an RBI after 3 games and 12 at-bats. Making his debut as a designated hitter, he created a breakthrough.

On Dec. 12 (Korean time), Lee recorded 1 hit, 1 RBI, and 1 run in 4 at-bats as a designated hitter in the 3rd spot in an away game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, held in 2025 Major League Baseball.

Lee had gone 0-for-5 against the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 8, 0-for-4 against Minnesota on Dec. 10, and 0-for-3 against Minnesota on Dec. 11, marking a new record of 3 games and 12 consecutive at-bats without a hit since his Major League debut. On this day, he made his debut as a designated hitter and focused on batting.

He got a hit in his first at-bat and recorded a sacrifice fly, but made outs in the next 3 at-bats, causing his season batting average to slightly decline from .287 to .286 (44 hits in 151 at-bats). His OPS also fell from .804 to .794. It is the first time this season that Lee's OPS has dropped below .800 since the first 10 games (.799).

Minnesota's starter was right-hander Pablo Lopez. Lopez, who debuted in the Major Leagues with the Miami Marlins in 2018 and moved to Minnesota in 2023, has a career record of 57 wins and 51 losses with a 3.84 ERA over 164 games (922⅓ innings) in 8 seasons. He has achieved double-digit wins for three consecutive years and was selected as an All-Star in 2023. This season, he has pitched 6 games (33 innings) with a 2.18 ERA and 3 wins and 2 losses.

Against Lopez, Lee got a hit right from his first at-bat in the top of the first inning. With one out and a runner on first base, he swung and missed at Lopez's first pitch changeup on the outside. However, after selecting the second pitch curve, he slammed the third pitch changeup, which was similar to the first pitch, into left field for a hit. The hit had a speed of 100.3 mph (161.4 km/h).

The San Francisco dedicated broadcaster 'NBC Sports Bay Area' also reacted positively to Lee's hit. Analyst Hunter Pence commented, "This is the swing Lee shows when his hitting feel is good. He makes line drives well to the opposite field. He adapted immediately after seeing the outside changeup for the second time."

In his second at-bat in the top of the third inning, he made an out on a ground ball to second base. With a count of 2-2, he swung at a 5th pitch sweeper that missed low in the middle.

In the top of the 5th inning, leading 3-2 and with one out and a runner on third, he recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly. With a 2-1 count, he lifted a low curve to the middle on the 4th pitch and sent a fly ball to right field, bringing home the runner on third, Mike Yastrzemski. This was Lee's second sacrifice fly of the season and his 24th RBI.

In the top of the 8th inning with no outs and a runner on first base, he was out on a line drive to right field. Facing right-hander Griffin Jackson with a count of 1-1, he pulled a changeup that was too high in the middle for the 3rd pitch, but it went straight to the right fielder.

The top of the 9th was unfortunate. With a chance with 2 outs and a runner on second, tied at 5-5, he faced left-hander Danny Coulombe, selected a ball on the first pitch, and saw an outside high sinker that skimmed the border for a strike on the second pitch. He then hit a cutter that was too high in the middle for the 3rd pitch, but it soared at an angle of 40 degrees, resulting in a fly ball to the center fielder.

However, in the top of the 10th inning with no outs and a runner on second, Lee scored. When Matt Chapman grounded to shortstop, Lee advanced to third and then scored on David Villa's grounder to first, creating a 6-5 lead.

It was expected to be the winning run, but it wasn't. Soon after, in the bottom of the 10th inning, closer Ryan Walker allowed 2 runs and suffered a shocking walk-off loss at 6-7. Yastrzemski went 3-for-5, Matt Chapman went 2-for-4 with 1 walk, and Ramos contributed 2 hits and 4 RBIs, including his 7th home run of the season in the top of the 4th inning, but it was overshadowed by the team's loss.

Starting pitcher Landon Rupp went 5 innings, allowing 6 hits (1 home run), walking none, striking out 3, and allowing 3 runs, qualifying for the win before he exited. However, it was disappointing that Eric Miller allowed 3 hits and 1 walk for 4 consecutive reach base, failing to record any outs in the bottom of the 6th. Subsequently, Camilo Doval (1 inning), Hayden Birdsong (2 innings), and Tyler Rogers (1 inning) pitched well, but in the 10th inning, Walker crumbled by allowing a walk-off hit to Minnesota's DaShawn Keirsey Jr., allowing 2 runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Having lost all three games in the Minnesota series, the San Francisco Giants, ranked 3rd in the National League (NL) West, fell to a record of 24 wins and 17 losses. The Minnesota Twins, riding an 8-game winning streak, marked a record of 20 wins and 21 losses in the 4th position of the American League (AL) Central.

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