This is why he might be a superstar of the San Francisco Giants. Lee Jung-hoo displayed a level of hitting proficiency against a pitcher who overpowered the San Francisco batting lineup for 8 innings, becoming the only player among the starting nine to record a hit.
Lee Jung-hoo recorded 1 hit in 4 at-bats after starting as the No. 3 center fielder in the second game of the 2025 Major League three-game series against the Washington Nationals held at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. on the 25th (Korea time).
With the score tied at 0-0, Lee Jung-hoo faced his first at-bat with 2 outs and no runners on base in the bottom of the first inning. After watching the first pitch strike from right-handed starter Jake Irvin, he swung at the second pitch, a high outside 95.9 mph (154 km) four-seam fastball, but it resulted in a ground out to the shortstop.
The second at-bat was different. Trailing 0-2, he came up as the lead-off hitter in the top of the 4th inning and hit a clean single. After watching the first pitch ball from Irvin, he correctly hit the second pitch, an 84.1 mph (135 km) changeup that was left over the middle, for a right-field single. This was a moment of consolidation through proficient hitting, extending his hitting streak to 5 games, which included multi-hits the previous day.
After the following batter Wilmer Flores, took advantage of a fielding error by pitcher Irvin to advance to second base. He touched third base on Matt Chapman’s double play ball, but Willie Adames struck out swinging, bringing the inning to a disappointing end at third base.
In the top of the 6th inning, still trailing 0-2, Lee Jung-hoo ended up popping up to the shortstop with one out and no runners. After the first pitch was a strike, he bounced back at the second pitch, a 92.7 mph (149 km) four-seam fastball left over the middle, but he failed to make solid contact.
Lee Jung-hoo entered his final at-bat as the lead-off hitter in the top of the 9th inning, trailing 0-3. With right-hander Jorge Lopez on the mound, he faced a 1B-2S disadvantage. He hit the fourth pitch, an 83.5 mph (134 km) knuckle curve, correctly, but the ball went towards the pitcher's glove, resulting in a ground out instead of a single.
With the additional hit, Lee Jung-hoo's season batting average slightly decreased from .282 to .281.
The second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West lost to Washington 0-3, failing to extend their winning streak, with a season record of 30 wins and 22 losses. Starter Kyle Harrison suffered his first loss of the season (no wins) after pitching 4 innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), striking out 4, and giving up 2 earned runs. The lineup managed only 3 hits against the Washington pitchers, with Tyler Fitzgerald recording a multi-hit game and Lee Jung-hoo contributing 1 hit.
In contrast, Washington, in fourth place in the Eastern Division, avenged their previous day's loss, improving to 24 wins and 28 losses. Starter Irvin pitched 8 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, striking out 7, and achieved a flawless game for his fourth win of the season (1 loss). The lineup scored 3 runs from James Wood's two-run homer in the bottom of the first and Robert Hassell III's one-RBI ground out in the bottom of the seventh.
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