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Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) added a hit and a stolen base to contribute, but his performance was overshadowed by the team's shocking 9th-inning comeback loss.
On the 23rd (Korea time), Lee Jung-hoo started as the cleanup hitter and right fielder in an away game against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, during the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season. He recorded one hit and one stolen base in four at-bats. Breaking his scoreless silence from the previous day, Lee Jung-hoo maintained a season batting average of .291.
In the early innings, he struggled against opposing starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval. In the bottom of the 2nd inning with a 1-0 lead and no outs on first base, he swung and missed at an outside low sweeper after a full-count battle for a strikeout. With the score 2-0 in the 3rd inning and two outs with the bases loaded, he hit a low sinker but was retired by a ground ball to the first baseman without driving in any runs. In his third at-bat of the 6th inning, he again hit a powerful ball traveling at 95.2 mph (approximately 153.2 km/h), but it went straight toward the center fielder.
The long-awaited hit finally came in the scheduled 8th inning. With two outs and a runner on first base, Lee Jung-hoo stepped into the batter's box against opposing pitcher Giovanni Moran and drove a cutter down the middle for a clean single to left field. Using that hit to advance the runner from first to third base, Lee Jung-hoo immediately stole second base, achieving his ninth stolen base of the season.
However, the San Francisco lineup failed to capitalize on the crucial scoring opportunity with two outs and runners on second and third bases created by Lee Jung-hoo, as subsequent batter Christian Coxe grounded out.
Later, the San Francisco pitching staff, holding a 2-0 lead entering the bottom of the 9th inning, began to crumble quickly, allowing three runs to Boston and suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 walk-off comeback loss. Despite Lee Jung-hoo's all-around efforts on offense, defense, and base running, San Francisco missed out on a victory it had nearly secured in the final moments and bowed its head. Sam Hensig, who entered the game in the bottom of the 9th inning, pitched one-third of an inning, allowing two hits and one walk while giving up two earned runs, taking the loss (his sixth of the season). He also recorded his third blown save of the season.
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