The "Son of the Wind" Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) made a strong statement regarding his demotion to the seventh spot.
On the 9th (Korean time), Lee Jung-hoo made a start as a seventh batter in center field during the second game of a three-game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, recording two hits in four at-bats in the 2025 Major League Baseball.
Lee Jung-hoo faced his first at-bat in the bottom of the second, with one out and a runner on first, with the score tied at 0-0. He faced right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker, who boasts a career record of 75 wins in Major League Baseball. After getting into a favorable count of 2 balls and 1 strike, he hit the fourth pitch, a 92.6-mile-per-hour (149 km) four-seam fastball, to right field for a consolidation. This marked his third consecutive game with a hit.
Despite moving to second base on a one-RBI hit to left field by the following batter Dominic Smith, Lee Jung-hoo could not score as Patrick Bailey grounded into a double play to second base, shortstop, and first base.
Leading 1-0, Lee Jung-hoo came to bat for his second at-bat as the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the fifth. As soon as he stepped up to the plate, he hit a low-breaking 90.5-mile-per-hour (145 km) sinker from the newly entered left-handed pitcher Tanner Banks, sending the ball past the shortstop and toward left field. This achievement marked his first multi-hit game in six days since recording three hits against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 3rd.
As a runner on first with one out, Lee Jung-hoo successfully reached second base on Bailey's single to center, but Heliet Ramos grounded out to center field, and Rafael Devers struck out swinging, bringing the inning to a close.
Trailing 1-3 in the bottom of the seventh, Lee Jung-hoo recorded a groundout as the lead-off batter. He faced the new left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm, and on a 1 ball, 1 strike count, he grounded out on the third pitch, a low 82.2-mile-per-hour (132 km) slider.
Still trailing 1-3, Lee Jung-hoo faced his last at-bat in the bottom of the ninth with no outs and a runner on second base. He faced right-handed pitcher Jordan Romano, and with a count of 2 balls and 2 strikes, he hit the fifth pitch, a low 87.2-mile-per-hour (140 km) slider, hard, but it became a pop out to third base, leaving him disappointed.
With two additional hits, Lee Jung-hoo's season batting average increased from .243 to .246.
The second-place San Francisco Giants in the National League West secured a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Philadelphia with a score of 4-3, extending their winning streak to four games.
[OSEN]