The bat of Lee Jung-hoo, the grandson of the wind who met the 'KBO reverse export success myth' Merrill Kelly (Arizona Diamondbacks), has awakened.
On the 3rd (Korean time), Lee participated as the starting center fielder in the third game of the four-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2025 Major League Baseball, achieving 3 hits, 1 RBI, and 2 runs in 5 at-bats.
Lee Jung-hoo, whose batting average had dropped to .240 after a recent four-game hitless silence, ultimately had to watch his teammates suffer a four-game losing streak from the bench after missing the previous day's game.
Could rest be the remedy? Lee Jung-hoo appeared with 2 outs and a runner on first base in the top of the first inning, leading 1-0, and hit a 92.6-mile (149 km) four-seam fastball that was centered from Merrill Kelly, who started as Arizona's pitcher and is from the SK Wyverns, for a 1-RBI triple (his 7th of the season) that struck the right-center field fence directly. It was a welcome hit, breaking his recent four-game hitless streak, with a distance of 387 feet (117 m).
Lee Jung-hoo finished the inning as the following batter, Luis Matos, grounded out to the third baseman.
Lee Jung-hoo’s bat did not stop. In the top of the fourth inning, leading 2-0, he appeared as the leadoff hitter, and on the 6th pitch at a ball count of 2B-2S, he targeted an 88.5-mile (142 km) changeup from Kelly for a double that landed in right-center field, marking his 18th double of the season. It was the moment he achieved a multi-hit game for the first time in nearly a month since the game against the San Diego Padres on the 5th of last month.
After the following batter, Matos, hit a fly ball to left field, Lee Jung-hoo advanced to third base when Patrick Bailey hit a ground ball to the third baseman, but Tyler Fitzgerald's fly out to right field again denied him a chance to score.
In the top of the sixth inning, leading 3-2, Lee Jung-hoo again came to bat as the leadoff batter. Just like in his first at-bat, he hit a low 89.3-mile (143 km) sinker from Kelly but ended up grounding out to the right fielder.
Lee Jung-hoo gathered strength again. Still leading slightly at 3-2, he hit an infield single after one out in the top of the eighth inning, achieving his first 3-hit game in nearly two months since the game against the Chicago Cubs on May 7. After watching the first pitch from right-hander Jake Woodford, he targeted the second pitch, a high 90.2-mile (145 km) cutter, and produced an infield single with a hard-hit ball toward first base.
After the following batter, Matos, drew a walk and advanced to second base, Lee Jung-hoo rounded third base and scored on Bailey's single up the middle.
With a tie at 5-3 in the top of the ninth inning with 2 outs and a runner on second base, Lee Jung-hoo challenged for a cycling hit. With a ball count of 2B-2S, he made a big fly ball to Woodford’s fifth pitch, a high 90.7-mile (145 km) sinker, which generated excitement but resulted in a fly out to the right fielder. The inning ended.
In the tie-breaking situation of the 10th inning with a score of 5-5, Lee Jung-hoo returned to the field as the runner on second base. After moving to third base on Heliot Ramos' infield single, he scored on a sacrifice fly from Bailey that broke the tie at 5-5.
With 3 hits in the game, Lee Jung-hoo raised his season batting average from .240 to .246.
The San Francisco Giants, ranked third in the National League West, defeated Arizona 6-5 after a 10-inning battle, escaping a four-game losing streak. They improved to 46 wins and 41 losses, increasing their lead over fourth-ranked Arizona to 2.5 games. In the ninth inning, leading 5-3, closer Camilo Doval allowed a game-tying two-run homer to Ketel Marte. However, they held on to the one run earned in the top of the 10th inning, finally breaking their losing streak.
Arizona, whose three-game winning streak was snapped, fell to 43 wins and 43 losses. Kelly pitched six innings, allowing 5 hits (including 1 home run), 3 walks, striking out 3, and giving up 3 runs, but he faced a loss due to the silence of the offense, though he recorded a no-decision thanks to Marte’s dramatic tying home run.
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