Lee Jung-hoo, 'Choo Shin-soo also couldn't do it' MLB inside-the-park home run, second Korean after Choi Hee-seop → First SF player in Dodger Stadium history to achieve 'great record'

*This content was translated by AI.

San Francisco Giants' "Grandson of the Wind," Lee Jung-hoo (28), set a historic record with an "inside-the-park home run" at Dodger Stadium, the home field of the Los Angeles Dodgers, making major league history.

On the 15th (Korean time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the leadoff hitter and right fielder in the final game of a four-game away series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the UCLA Field at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California, USA, and hit an "inside-the-park home run" in his third at-bat.

The play occurred in the bottom of the fifth inning with San Francisco trailing 0-2, with two outs and a runner on first base. Entering the batter's box, Lee Jung-hoo, facing an absolutely unfavorable count of two strikes, sharply drove the third pitch from Dodgers starter Emmet Shehan, a 94.8 mph (approximately 152.5 km/h) fastball.

The ball rolled along the third-base side line and into the left-field foul territory. At that moment, a critical defensive misjudgment by Dodgers left fielder Teoscar Hernandez compounded the situation. Hernandez failed to accurately track the ball's landing point and let it roll behind him. Seizing the opportunity, Lee Jung-hoo used his signature explosive speed to dash past first and second base and continue unimpeded to third base. Lee Jung-hoo surged all the way to home plate and completed the inside-the-park home run with a headfirst slide.

Although the play involved an error by the opposing outfielder, the official MLB scorer did not charge Hernandez with an error. This is interpreted as recognition of the value of the hit and Lee Jung-hoo's overwhelming baserunning ability. Consequently, the play was officially recorded as Lee Jung-hoo's third home run of the season and his first "inside-the-park home run" in his major league debut. It was an astonishing baserunning play that instantly tied the score at 2-2.

Immediately afterward, the San Francisco Giants officially celebrated the historic achievement on their official social media, stating, "Lee Jung-hoo has hit the first inside-the-park home run in major league history."

With this single hit, Lee Jung-hoo left a deep mark on the history of Korean players in the major leagues. It is a record that even Choo Shin-soo (44), who holds the record for the most home runs by an Asian batter in the major leagues, and Kim Ha-seong (31, Atlanta Braves) have never achieved in the major leagues. Choo Shin-soo hit an inside-the-park home run in 2006 while playing for the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers under the Seattle Mariners, but not at the major league level. For a Korean major leaguer, this is the second-ever such record, occurring 22 years after Choi Hee-seop (then of the Florida Marlins) hit one against the Houston Astros on May 20, 2004.

From the perspective of stadium history, it is also monumental. According to Sarah Langs, a reporter for MLB.com, the official major league website, an inside-the-park home run at Dodger Stadium had not occurred since Nick Ahmed (then of the Arizona Diamondbacks) on May 9, 2018, making this the first in eight years. It is also the first inside-the-park home run by a San Francisco Giants player at Dodger Stadium in the stadium's history. Expanding the view to the entire traditional rivalry between the Dodgers and the Giants, this is the first time a San Francisco Giants player has hit an inside-the-park home run in an away game since Alvin Dark did so at Ebbets Field (the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers, the predecessor of the Los Angeles Dodgers) on August 15, 1954, a span of 72 years.

Although the team ultimately lost 2-5 after being overwhelmed by the Dodgers' concentrated hitting and finished the four-game away series with a 2-2 record, Lee Jung-hoo's relentless dash to home plate was more than enough to deliver a powerful shock to the home fans.

It was enough to deliver a powerful shock to home fans.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.