"Wow!" Lee Jung-hoo, "First 3 hits." Look at them all! batting average 0.077 → 0.222 'wonderful rise'

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) finally exploded after breaking from his poor batting performance. With just one game, he achieved a phenomenal rise that nearly tripled his batting average.

Lee Jung-hoo started as the sixth batter and right fielder in an away game against the San Diego Padres in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) at Petco Park in San Diego, California on the 1st (Korea time) and played 3 hits and 3 RBIs in 5 at-bats.

It is the first multi-hit of the season in as many as five games since the New York Yankees opener on March 26. Lee Jung-hoo's batting average for the season, which was 0.077 ahead of the game, soared to 0.222. He tripled his batting average. The on-base plus slugging ratio (OPS) also reached 0.689.

On this day, Lee Jung-hoo's bat fired from the first inning. Lee Jung-hoo, who took his first at-bat in the top of the first inning with two outs and runners on the second and third bases with a 1-0 lead, hit opposing starter Hermann Marcequez's three pitches (86.3 miles of knuckle curve) with a ball count of one ball-1 strike to create a timely two-run double to right field. Lee Jung-hoo, who brought home both runners Eliot Ramos and Matt Chapman, who were on the floor, hit a whopping 98.8 miles (about 159 kilometers).

The second at-bat was a bit disappointing. With a 4-0 lead in the top of the third inning, Lee Jung-hoo made a hit to the middle, but the shift caught San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts behind the second base.

In his third at-bat with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, which was 4-3 close, he made a double off the right-field line against Kyle Hart from the NC Dinos. He successfully targeted the 93.8-mile-per-hour fastball. He went to second base easily, but when he found a mistake during the defensive broadcast, Lee Jung-hoo ran to third base. He avoided third baseman Manny Machado's tag, but his foot fell and he was ruled out. A video review was requested from the San Francisco bench, but the decision was not reversed. Still, it was the moment when he achieved his first multi-hit of the season.

Lee Jung-hoo's bat, which was grounded out to shortstop in the fourth at-bat in the seventh inning, did not stop. In the top of the ninth inning, a hit that was eaten with one out and third base led to a left-handed hit, completing a three-hit game. San Francisco also won two consecutive games with a 9-3 complete victory. Willie Adames, the first batter and starting shortstop, hit hard with four hits and two RBIs in five at-bats, and starting pitcher Logan Webb also won his first victory of the season with three hits, five strikeouts and three runs in six innings.

Lee Jung-hoo marked the beginning of a full-fledged rebound with his performance on the day. It was a game that erased the concerns of the "slow starter" and proved itself to be the core of the San Francisco lineup.

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*This content was translated by AI.