*This content was translated by AI.
Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) led his team's offense with an explosive power display. While he delivered a multi-home run performance with multiple RBIs, a closer look at his hits reveals another record that underscores the harsh conditions of Oracle Park, the Giants' home stadium.
On the 4th (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the second hitter and right fielder in an away game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, during the '2026 Major League Baseball (MLB)' season. He recorded a multi-hit game with two home runs and added a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning. His final line was 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. Lee Jung-hoo's seasonal batting average rose from 0.301 to 0.306.
The first blow came in his second at-bat. After striking out looking in the first inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced his second at-bat in the bottom of the third with the team leading 2-0, one out, and no runners on base. With a 1-ball, 1-strike count, he crushed the third pitch from Texas right-handed starter Cole Kwantill—a splitter clocked at 83 mph (about 133.6 km/h). The ball traveled at 100.6 mph (about 161.9 km/h) for a distance of 410 feet (about 125 meters), clearing the fence in left-center field. This was Lee Jung-hoo's seventh home run of the season.
Completing his multi-hit game early with a single to left field in his third at-bat, Lee Jung-hoo also successfully stole his eighth base of the season. His bat continued to deliver. In his fourth at-bat as the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the eighth, he pulled a slider from reliever right-handed pitcher Payton Gray, clocked at 86.3 mph (about 138.9 km/h) on the first pitch, sending another solo home run over the fence in left-center field. The ball traveled at 100.1 mph (about 161.1 km/h) for a distance of 385 feet (about 117.3 meters), marking his eighth home run of the season.
Lee Jung-hoo has cleared the fence twice in a single game for the first time since April 14, 2025, against the New York Yankees—a span of 477 days. This marks his second multi-home run game in MLB career history and ties his personal record for most home runs in a single season since joining the majors (8).
Here lies an interesting finding from the official MLB Statcast analysis. Lee Jung-hoo's seventh home run, hit in the third inning, was measured as a ball that would clear the fence in 29 of the 30th MLB stadiums—except for Oracle Park, the Giants' home stadium, where it would not have been a home run. This indicates that Lee Jung-hoo has suffered an unfair disadvantage.
His eighth home run also would have cleared the fence in 25 of the 30 stadiums, excluding Coors Field, Target Field, PNC Park, and Oracle Park in San Francisco. Both hits would not have cleared the fence if played at Oracle Park due to its unique high right-field wall and expansive left-center field (Triple Alley). Had these home runs occurred in front of home fans, they might have only been line drives hitting the fence. However, as an away game in Texas, Lee Jung-hoo perfectly overcame this 'unfair disadvantage' (a situation where one suffers unjustly or is at a disadvantage).
Lee Jung-hoo's performance did not end there. In the bottom of the ninth with one out and bases loaded during his fifth at-bat, he maintained focus and hit a solid ball to the outfield, recording a textbook sacrifice fly that added a crucial RBI for his team. The Giants won 5-1.
With his multi-home run game and sacrifice fly in clutch situations, Lee Jung-hoo raised his seasonal batting average to 0.306, securing sixth place in the overall MLB batting average rankings. With only two home runs needed to reach double digits for the first time since joining the U.S., Lee Jung-hoo's bat continues to ignite despite the adverse conditions of a 'pitcher-friendly park.'
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*This content was translated by AI.
