[breaking news] "Goosebumps." Lee Junghoo, fantastic bodhisattva! From the first at-bat of the exhibition game of 'hit + score', he flew properly. 'RF perfect showcase.'

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) marked a good start in 2026, scoring a hit from his first at-bat in the exhibition game.

Lee Jung-hoo recorded one hit in three at-bats on the 23rd (Korea time), starting as sixth batter and right fielder in the away game of the 2026 Major League Baseball exhibition game against the Chicago Cubs at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, and hitting a hit from his first at-bat in the second inning.

On this day, San Francisco started in the order of Luis Arraez (second baseman), Matt Chapman (third baseman), Willy Adames (striker), Rafael Devers (first baseman), Patrick Bailey (catcher), Lee Jung-hoo (right fielder), Bryce Eldridge (designated hitter), Will Brennan (left fielder), and Harrison Bader (center fielder).

Lee Jung-hoo entered the first at-bat with one out and no runners in the bottom of the second inning when the two teams were tied 0-0. The Cubs' pitcher on the mound is right-hander Colin Leah, who had 11 wins (seven losses) last year. After watching the four-seam fastball that entered the strike zone on the high course of the first pitch, Lee Jung-hoo also watched the second cutter strike on the body. The third ball is a big step away from the zone. The fourth ball. Lee Jung-hoo pushed a splitter (141.6km) across Leah's outer zone to lead to a hit between the third baseman and the shortstop. Cubs shortstop Scott Kinzeri attempted a diving catch toward Lee Jung-hoo's ball, but the ball was deflected toward the outfield after being hit by Kinzer, leading to a hit. It was the moment when Lee Jung-hoo made a hit from his first at-bat in the exhibition game.

Lee Jung-hoo, who took first base, began to aim for second base. During Bryce Eldridge's subsequent at-bat, he actually stole second base, but there was also a foul. In the end, as Eldridge drew a walk, Lee Jung-hoo settled on second base. Next up is Will Brennan. Brennan's hit headed toward shortstop again. It was a hit. Lee Jung-hoo avoided the ball well and turned around the third base and rushed home with all his might to give San Francisco the first score.

Lee Jung-hoo took his second at-bat as a leadoff hitter in the bottom of the fourth inning with his team still leading 1-0. The opposing pitcher is left-hander Riley Martin. Lee Jung-hoo watched both the first four-seam fastball and the second curve that entered the high zone outside. The third ball is a foul. The fourth pitch was a ball, and the fifth pitch was a 95-mile (152.9 kilometers) four-seam fastball, but he was out after hitting a fly ball to left field.

Lee Jung-hoo took the batter's box for the third time in the bottom of the sixth inning when San Francisco took a 3-0 lead. Lee Jung-hoo targeted the second change-up with a ball count of 1-0 against Cubs right-hander Yanri Rojas, but he only hit a fly ball to left field again. At the moment of the strike, the helmet was taken off. Lee Jung-hoo finished his game by replacing Luis Matos ahead of the defense in the top of the seventh inning.

Above all, Lee Jung-hoo showed fantastic performance in defense. Cubs' offense in the top of the fifth inning. The situation is on third base with one out. Chas McCormick's ball went high toward the right outfield. After Lee Jung-hoo quickly chased him, he succeeded in calmly catching it outside the foul line. At this time, Cubs third baseman Eric Haase began to tag up and rush home. When Lee Jung-hoo saw this, he threw the ball home without delay as soon as he caught the ball. The throw went right into the catcher's mitt after being one bound. Ha-se, who tried to slide with the catcher's tag, was out as it was. He was the perfect Bodhisattva of Lee Jung-hoo. Lee Jung-hoo, who caught two out-counts alone at once, entered the dugout on the first base side and received enthusiastic applause from his teammates and fans.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung-hoo, who entered the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2024, ended the season early due to an unexpected shoulder injury. And Lee Jung-hoo played well throughout the full season without injury in the 2025 season. In 150 games, he played a batting average of 0.266 (149 hits in 560 at-bats) with eight home runs and 55 RBIs, an on-base percentage of 0.327 slugging percentage of 0.407, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 0.734.

Lee plans to join the WBC national team after some exhibition games. Before leaving the U.S. spring camp, Lee Jung-hoo said, "I think it will be good for both me and the team (to join the WBC national team after a few trial games). Looking at the schedule, I think I can play about 5 games and go to the national team. I think it would be better to play five games like that. If you go to the national team anyway, you won't be able to play a lot of practice games, so it's better to play a lot in exhibition games. I told the coach that I would play as many exhibition games as possible. I think I'll play a few exhibition games and then go according to the official WBC schedule," he said.

Regarding the role of the national team, he said, "The coach and the chairman of the technical committee also told me about that in the United States, and I don't think I'm young when I go to the national team. He is not an inexperienced player either. There are seniors, but I think I should be good at that bridge role. I will do my best to show good results at this WBC," he said.

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*This content was translated by AI.