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Lee Jung-hoo picks up first multi-hit game as Giants take opening series

Published: 31 Mar. 2025, 09:54 Updated: 31 Mar. 2025, 17:07

San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo runs to first base after hitting a single in the eighth inning of the game against the Cincinnati Reds on March 30, 2025, in Cincinnati, Ohio. [AP/YONHAP]

Three games into the new MLB season, Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants recorded his first multihit effort to help his team win the opening series.

Lee batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and scored twice as the Giants defeated the Cincinnati Reds 6-3 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati on Sunday.

Lee, who has been batting third, raised his batting average to .300 and leads the Giants with four runs scored and a .417 on-base percentage.

He struck out in the first inning and lined out to first base in the fourth inning. Then, with the Giants leading 1-0 in the top sixth, Lee delivered a two-out RBI double into the left field corner off starter Nick Martinez to extend his team's lead.

It was Lee's first extra-base hit of the year and gave him an RBI in the second straight game.

Matt Chapman followed up with a two-run home run.

With two outs in the eighth, the Giants now up 5-3, Lee hit an infield single to second baseman Matt McLain to keep the inning going.

After a Chapman walk, Heliot Ramos singled home Lee to stretch the Giants' lead to 6-3.

They hung on to win by the same score and took two out of three games of their first series of 2025.

The one other Korean in the majors, Bae Ji-hwan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, was tagged out while trying to advance to third as a pinch-runner against the Miami Marlins in his second appearance of 2025.

The speedy Bae pinch-ran for Andrew McCutchen after the veteran drew a two-out walk in the top of the eighth inning at loanDepot park in Miami, with the score tied at 2-2. Bae then moved to second thanks to a walk by Jack Suwinski.

When Calvin Faucher bounced a pitch in the dirt, Bae tried to get to third. He was initially ruled safe, but the call was overturned after a video replay.

The Pirates lost 3-2.

Bae was benched for the first two days of the season and then went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his season debut Saturday.

Yonhap