San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) broke his silence of 12 consecutive hitless at-bats over 3 games. Amid the sudden silence, he sought change and laid the groundwork for a rebound.
On the 12th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the designated hitter batting third in an away game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota, recording 1 hit and 1 run batted in out of 4 at-bats.
Starting with a hitless performance of 0 for 5 against the Chicago Cubs on the 8th, Lee Jung-hoo went hitless in 4 at-bats against the Minnesota Twins on the 10th and again in 3 at-bats on the 11th, resulting in the longest stretch of 12 hitless at-bats over 3 games since his major league debut. On this day, he batted as the designated hitter for the first time and focused on hitting to break his silence.
Against Minnesota All-Star starter Pablo Lopez, Lee Jung-hoo stepped to the plate in his first at-bat with one out and a runner on first base in the first inning. The San Francisco exclusive broadcaster 'NBC Sports Bay Area' commented on Lee Jung-hoo's recent struggles.
Caster Dave Fleming opened with, "Lee Jung-hoo is really quiet. He needs to bounce back," to which analyst Hunter Pence noted, "Lee hit a home run in Chicago, but he was robbed of several hits by the Cubs' good defense. He was completely shut down against Minnesota. The quality of his hits hasn't been good either." On the 7th against the Cubs, Lee exploded for 3 hits, including a home run, but he was unlucky as center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong made a great catch, and he faced similar luck again against Minnesota.
Pence, a former outfielder who recorded 244 home runs over 14 seasons in Major League Baseball and was selected to the All-Star game 4 times, also experienced World Series victories with San Francisco in 2012 and 2014. He expressed, "At times like this, I want to see Lee Jung-hoo hit a line drive to the opposite field," hoping to see him find a way to bounce back.
Pence's wish was realized starting from Lee Jung-hoo's first at-bat in the first inning. Lee pushed a changeup from Lopez for his third pitch, creating a hit to left field. Pence praised Lee's adjustment, saying, "Lee was thinking the same as I was. That swing comes when Lee's hitting feeling is good. He hit a low line drive to the opposite field. He swung and missed on the first changeup, but he adapted and connected on the second one."
In his second at-bat in the third inning, Lee grounded out to second base, but Pence noted the changes in Lee's batting stance. He asked the caster, "Doesn't it look like Lee is shaking his body more before he takes a step?" and analyzed, "It seems he added a little more movement to find his rhythm. There is still a slight shake."
In the fifth inning, he came to the plate with one out and a runner on second base, but Lopez's balk advanced the runner to third with one out. Pence remarked, "Lee Jung-hoo is in a situation where he can score with a sacrifice fly," and indeed Lee lifted a low curveball from Lopez on his fourth pitch for a sacrifice fly to right field, recording 1 run batted in.
Caster Fleming praised Lee Jung-hoo's contact, stating, "Lee Jung-hoo is a player who can make solid contact with the ball," referring to the sacrifice fly he made without striking out with one out and a runner on third. Pence added, "Lee Jung-hoo did his job well. It's not easy to do that against Lopez."
Breaking the hitless silence and adding a run batted in with the sacrifice fly, Lee Jung-hoo finished the game with 1 hit out of 4 at-bats after flying out to right field in the eighth and to center field in the ninth. His season batting average fell from .287 to .286 (44 hits out of 154 at-bats), and his OPS decreased from .804 to .794. This is the first time Lee Jung-hoo's OPS has fallen below .800 since the first 10 games of the season (.799).
San Francisco also suffered a walk-off loss to Minnesota, 6-7. After leading 6-5 in the 10th inning, closer Ryan Walker came in but allowed 2 runs on 2 hits and 1 walk, resulting in the walk-off victory for Minnesota. With losses in all three games of the Minnesota series, San Francisco's record fell to 24 wins and 17 losses.
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