*This content was translated by AI.
In a welcome "Korean player showdown" that took place on the Major League stage, Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) delivered a multi-hit performance to reclaim his .300 batting average. Meanwhile, Song Sung-moon (30, San Diego Padres), who earned a starting opportunity after a long break, failed to record a hit and left behind a sense of regret.
On the 3rd (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the fifth hitter and right fielder in an away game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park in San Diego, California, USA, in the "2026 Major League Baseball (MLB)" season. He went 3-for-4 with one hit-by-pitch and one stolen base, showing outstanding performance.
Lee Jung-hoo, whose seasonal batting average had dropped from .300 to .298 after going 1-for-5 with two strikeouts the previous day, completed a multi-hit game in just one day and raised his batting average back to .301.
On this day, Lee Jung-hoo started strong. In the top of the second inning with one out, he faced Kyle Hart, a left-handed starting opener from the KBO League's NC Dinos, and hit an infield single toward the second baseman. He then successfully stole his seventh base of the season, shaking up the San Diego battery, but failed to score due to lack of follow-up hits.
In his second at-bat in the fourth inning, Lee Jung-hoo was hit by a pitch from reliever JP Sears, achieving a multi-on-base situation. He was retired on a shortstop's fly ball in the top of the sixth inning. In the top of the eighth, he showcased not only a multi-hit performance but also brilliant base-running sense.
In the bottom of the eighth with two outs and no runners on base, Lee Jung-hoo hit a slow grounder toward the third baseman at 61.8 mph (approximately 99.4 km/h). Coincidentally, the San Diego infield was shifted to the right side. As a result, third baseman Song Sung-moon failed to field the ball, and it rolled into the outfield. Lee Jung-hoo sprinted unimpeded toward second base. A throwing error by San Diego left fielder Luis Lengifo allowed Lee Jung-hoo to reach third base safely. Although it wasn't strictly an error by Song Sung-moon, in effect, Lee Jung-hoo had successfully broken through Song's defense.
Meanwhile, Song Sung-moon, who started as the ninth hitter and third baseman for San Diego on this day, swallowed his regrets at the plate. After being named in the starting lineup for the first time since July 27 against the Miami Marlins, he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts over eight days.
In the bottom of the second inning with one out and runners on first and second, Song Sung-moon struck out swinging on three pitches against San Francisco starter Landon Lupe. He was retired on a third baseman's fly ball in the fourth inning and struck out again against left-handed pitcher Sam Hensges in the sixth. In his final at-bat of the eighth inning, he was retired on a second baseman's fly ball. Song Sung-moon's seasonal batting average dropped from .212 to .204.
In addition, amidst the Korean player showdown, San Diego defeated San Francisco 5-4 in a one-run victory. San Diego took an early lead by scoring four runs in the bottom of the second inning and successfully repelled San Francisco's comeback attempts. Although San Francisco narrowed the gap to one run with a solo home run by Rafah El Devers in the top of the eighth while trailing 3-5, they ultimately fell short of turning the game around.
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*This content was translated by AI.
