Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo nabs second three-hit game of the season in win over Cincinnati

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Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo nabs second three-hit game of the season in win over Cincinnati

Published: 10 Apr. 2025, 11:46 Updated: 10 Apr. 2025, 20:11

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo celebrates with third base coach Matt Williams after hitting an RBI triple against the Cincinnati Reds during the fourth inning at Oracle Park in San Franciso on April 9. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo recorded his second three-hit game of the season on Wednesday, lifting his batting average to .333 in an 8-6 comeback win over the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California.

Lee started in center field and batted third, finishing 3-for-5 with one RBI and one run scored. He collected a single, a double and a triple but fell short of the cycle.

This marked his fourth multi-hit game of the year and came just four days after his last three-hit outing against the Seattle Mariners.

After striking out swinging in his first at-bat in the bottom of the first, Lee sparked the Giants’ offense in the fourth inning while trailing 5-0.

With two strikes, he pulled a 125-kilometer-per-hour (77.6 mile-per-hour) changeup from Reds starter Nick Martinez down the right-field line for his first career triple in Major League Baseball. He attempted to score on Elliott Ramos’ grounder to the mound but was tagged out at home.

In the sixth, with the Giants down 6-1, Lee again led off the inning and singled to the right on a 129-kilometer-per-hour (80.2 miles per hour) low changeup from Martinez. He advanced to third on Mike Yastrzemski’s double and scored on a wild pitch, helping San Francisco trim the deficit to 6-5 with a three-run rally.

San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo scores a wild pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds in San Francisco on April 9. [AP/YONHAP]

Lee continued his hot hitting in the seventh, driving a 130-kilometer-per-hour sweeper from reliever Scott Barlow deep to the right for a double. He reached second base with an aggressive baserunning play but was stranded there as the Giants failed to drive him in.

In his final at-bat in the ninth, Lee sent a well-struck ball to left-center, but Reds outfielder Will Benson made a diving catch to rob him of a fourth hit.

San Francisco tied the game in the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run from Wilmer Flores. In the 10th, Yastrzemski delivered a walk-off two-run home run into McCovey Cove, capping the comeback with a “splash hit” and giving the Giants the win in extra innings.

The Giants will return to action with a game against the New York Yankees on Friday.

This season is Lee's second campaign with the Giants after signing with the team in December 2023.

He missed the majority of the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury he suffered on May 12 last year, but he still hit .262/.310/.331 with two home runs and eight RBI.

Lee demonstrated a stellar performance at the Kiwoom Heroes in the KBO before he embarked his MLB career.

His last full KBO season in 2022 saw him bat .349 with 193 hits, 113 RBIs and 23 home runs, earning him the KBO MVP title.

By the time he left the KBO, he had a career .340 batting average, 1,181 hits, 515 RBIs, 65 home runs and 69 stole bases over six and a half seasons of work.

Lee can pursue his MLB career uninterrupted as he earned military service exemption through winning a gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games.


Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY SONG JI-HOON [[email protected]]