Since that day, doubles and walks have disappeared.

'Son of the Wind' Lee Jung-hoo (27, San Francisco Giants) has been quiet. While a batter cannot consistently perform well throughout the season, it is concerning that he has not had a single double or walk in the last 15 games.

Lee Jung-hoo swung a hot bat in March and April, recording a batting average of .319 (37 hits out of 116 at-bats), 3 home runs, 18 RBIs, 11 walks, 17 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .375, a slugging percentage of .526, and an OPS of .901 over the first 30 games.

However, starting in May, his batting average fell to .184 (7 hits out of 38 at-bats), with 1 home run, 6 RBIs, no walks, 4 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .200, a slugging percentage of .263, and an OPS of .463 over 10 games. His season totals have decreased to a batting average of .286 (44 hits out of 154 at-bats), 4 home runs, 24 RBIs, 11 walks, 21 strikeouts, an on-base percentage of .333, a slugging percentage of .461, and an OPS of .794.

From the game against the Chicago Cubs on the 8th to the game against the Minnesota Twins on the 11th, he went hitless in 12 consecutive at-bats over 3 games. On the 12th against Minnesota, he recorded 1 hit in 3 at-bats, and also scored 1 RBI with a sacrifice fly, but he broke his batting average of .300 and OPS of .800. In a long season, ups and downs are inevitable, and right now, Lee Jung-hoo's hitting cycle is at a low point.

However, there is a noticeable characteristic. After getting 2 doubles and 2 walks in his 11th double on the 25th against the Milwaukee Brewers, he has not had a double or a walk since that day. From the game on the 26th against the Texas Rangers to the recent 15 games, he has made 12 hits but, except for 1 home run, has had no extra-base hits. During this time, he struck out 7 times and only got hit by a pitch without any walks.

On the 17th against the Philadelphia Phillies, he became the first player in both major leagues to reach double-digit doubles, raising his stock as a doubles machine, but in the last 15 games, he has had 0 doubles, dropping him from 1st to tied for 10th in this category. In the game against the Chicago Cubs on the 7th, he had no extra-base hits except for the home run.

Compared to April, his batting average against breaking balls dropped significantly from .321 to .077, and against off-speed pitches from .280 to .125. His batting average against fastballs is not bad at .333 to .294, but his inability to handle off-speed pitches has led to a lack of extra-base hits.

Even without extra-base hits, consistent on-base performance can maintain his batting average and OPS, but Lee Jung-hoo has had no walks in his last 15 games over 60 at-bats. This is why his batting average has continued to decline even with single hits. Recently, he has been hitting early in the count within 3 pitches, which has also reduced his walk rate. Although he is not a bad hitter in terms of plate discipline, and it is important for Lee Jung-hoo, whose strength is contact, to produce balls in play, too few walks mean he has to suffer recorded losses when his batting feeling drops.

For Lee Jung-hoo, the only option is to quickly regain his hitting form. On the 13th, San Francisco will have a home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park. The Arizona starting pitcher is right-hander Merrill Kelly (37), famously known for his reverse export from the KBO League. He has recorded a 4-2 record with an earned run average of 4.09 and struck out 33 batters over 8 games (44 innings) this season.

The matchup between Lee Jung-hoo and Kelly in Major League Baseball is a first, but the two players are already familiar with each other from their KBO League encounters. Lee Jung-hoo faced Kelly, a pitcher for the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers), 19 times while with the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) from 2017-2018, achieving a batting average of .467 (7 hits out of 15 at-bats), 3 walks, and 2 strikeouts, showing strong performance. Although their last encounter was 7 years ago, Kelly has been a good target for Lee Jung-hoo, providing a strong opportunity to regain his dropped batting feel.

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