'The son of the wind' Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) did not miss a bad pitch and made hits in five consecutive games.
On the 25th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the third center fielder in the second game of the three-game road series against the Washington Nationals in Major League Baseball at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., recording 1 hit in 4 at-bats.
Lee Jung-hoo faced his first at-bat with two outs and no runners on in the bottom of the first inning, tied 0-0. After watching the first pitch strike from right-handed starter Jake Irvin, he hit the second pitch, a high 95.9 mph (154 km/h) four-seam fastball on the outside, making a ground ball out to the shortstop.
The second at-bat was different. He appeared as the lead-off batter in the top of the fourth inning, trailing 0-2, and made a hit. After watching the first pitch ball from Irvin, he hit the second pitch, an 84.1 mph (135 km/h) changeup that was centered, leading to a consolidation to right field. It was a moment when he succeeded in hitting in five consecutive games, including multi-hits the previous day.
Lee Jung-hoo reached third base after a fielding error by pitcher Irvin that occurred during the at-bat of the following batter Wilmer Flores and a double play by Matt Chapman, but Willy Adames struck out swinging, unfortunately ending the inning at third base.
In the top of the sixth inning, still trailing 0-2, Lee Jung-hoo made a pop-up to the shortstop with one out and no runners on. After watching a strike on the first pitch, he swung at the second pitch, a centered 92.7 mph (149 km/h) four-seam fastball, but failed to make solid contact.
Lee Jung-hoo faced his last at-bat as the lead-off batter in the top of the ninth inning, trailing 0-3. With right-handed pitcher Jorge López on the mound, he swung at the fourth pitch, an 83.5 mph (134 km/h) knuckle curve, but the ball went towards the pitcher's glove, resulting in a ground ball out to the pitcher.
With 1 additional hit, Lee Jung-hoo's season batting average slightly dropped from .282 to .281.
The San Francisco Giants, ranked second in the National League West, lost to Washington 0-3, failing to extend their winning streak. They hold a record of 30 wins and 22 losses. Starting pitcher Kyle Harrison suffered his first loss of the season (0 wins) after pitching 4 innings, allowing 5 hits (1 home run), 4 strikeouts, and 2 earned runs, while the batting lineup managed only 3 hits against the Washington mound. Tyler Fitzgerald recorded multi-hits, while Lee Jung-hoo accounted for 1 hit.
In contrast, the Washington Nationals, ranked fourth in the National League East, improved their record to 24 wins and 28 losses, avenging their loss the previous day. Starting pitcher Irvin achieved a gem performance, pitching 8 innings, allowing 3 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts, and no earned runs, earning his 4th win (1 loss) of the season. The batting lineup scored 3 runs with a two-run homer from James Wood in the bottom of the first inning and a 1-RBI infield grounder from Robert Hassell III in the bottom of the seventh inning.
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