San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo (27) struck out with the bases loaded and no outs, but later calmed his disappointment with an infield hit and a decisive RBI.
On Aug. 8 (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo played as a center fielder batting seventh in a home game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, where he recorded 1 hit and 1 RBI in 4 at-bats.
Lee Jung-hoo, who took a break during the game against the Athletics the previous day (Aug. 6), made his fifth absence of the season, facing off against Philadelphia's left-handed starting pitcher Christopher Sanchez with his batting order lowered to seventh.
Despite being a starting batter in the seventh position for the third time this season and hitting in two consecutive games, his batting average remained at .243 (80 hits in 329 at-bats). His OPS slightly dropped from .706 to .704.
The first at-bat in the second inning was quite disappointing. Following consecutive hits by Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores, and a walk by Casey Schmitt, Lee faced an opportunity with the bases loaded and no outs. After watching the first pitch, an outside sinker, enter the strike zone, Lee skillfully selected the pitches that were outside the zone on the second and third pitches. He then fouled off the fourth pitch, an outside sinker, and swung at the fifth pitch, a changeup that fell below the strike zone.
While swinging to the point where his left knee almost touched the ground, his helmet came off. Lee, who picked up and put on his helmet that had fallen to the ground, ended up swinging and missing the sixth pitch, a changeup that dropped in a similar path. Although Sanchez's changeup fell beautifully, it was disappointing to see his bat follow pitches that were out of the zone twice in a row.
Even though Lee Jung-hoo struck out with the bases loaded and no outs, San Francisco took the lead with the next batter, Luis Matos, hitting a ground ball to second base, allowing the runner from third base to score.
In his second at-bat in the bottom of the fourth, he hit a single. With one out and no runners on base, he pushed a changeup that came into the lower outside part of the strike zone on Sanchez's fourth pitch, sending the ball into the gap between the shortstop and third baseman. Philadelphia shortstop Trea Turner caught it with a backhand but sent a throw to first base; however, it was a deep hit, and Lee had already passed first base. It was an infield single.
In the bottom of the sixth, with one out and a runner on first base, he attacked the first pitch. A sinker that reached 95.3 mph (153.4 km/h) from Sanchez came down the middle, but it resulted in a ground ball to second base. The runner on first, Schmitt, was forced out at second, and Lee, who sprinted to first, was satisfied to avoid a double play.
In the bottom of the eighth, with a 2-1 lead and one out, Lee faced right-handed reliever ORION KERKRING and hit a ground ball to first base. After observing a sweeper down the middle on the first pitch, he fouled off the second pitch, which was a four-seam fastball in the same zone. He then selected a ball on the third pitch and fouled off the fourth pitch, which was another four-seam fastball inside the strike zone. He followed with a ground ball to the first base side on the fifth pitch, which dropped low inside.
Philadelphia's first baseman Bryce Harper, who was playing in, caught the ground ball and immediately threw to home, but it was off to the right of catcher J.T. Realmuto. Realmuto caught the ball and tried to tag, but third baseman Chapman had already crossed home plate. Lee’s RBI was recorded as a fielders' choice. It was his 37th RBI of the season.
The game ended with San Francisco winning 3-1. Starting pitcher Landon Loup set the stage for victory with 5 innings, allowing 7 hits, 1 walk, and striking out 8 while giving up 1 run. Chapman led the lineup with 3 hits in 4 at-bats, including a double.
Having recently secured their third consecutive win, San Francisco reached 50 wins (42 losses) for the season, maintaining second place in the National League (NL) West. The NL East leader Philadelphia, which has ended its two-game winning streak, recorded 53 wins and 38 losses.
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