▲ Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants
"Grandson of the Wind" Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) has surpassed Choo Shin-soo (currently an advisor to the SSG Landers) and Kim Ha-seong (Atlanta Braves) to set a new record for the longest hitting streak by a Korean major leaguer.
Lee started as the fifth hitter and right fielder in a home game against the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on June 10, delivering a strong performance with two hits and two RBIs in five at-bats.
By recording a hit in his 17th consecutive game, dating back to the match against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 15, he surpassed the previous record for the longest hitting streak by a Korean batter in MLB (16 games), jointly held by Choo Shin-soo in 2013 and Kim Ha-seong in 2023.
Lee, who had four hits in the previous game, showed off his peak batting form by recording multi-hit games (two or more hits in a single game) for two consecutive days.
This marks his 22nd multi-hit game of the season.
Additionally, Lee raised his season batting average from .333 to .335 (77 hits in 230 at-bats), maintaining his position as the second-ranked hitter in MLB.
He is now just 6 points behind the leader, Otto Lopez (Miami Marlins, .341).
Lee was retired in his first at-bat in the bottom of the second inning with the team trailing 2-0.
Leading off the inning, Lee faced Washington's left-handed starting pitcher Andrew Alvarez and was out on a grounder to second base.
His first hit came in his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning.
With two outs and a runner on first, Lee challenged a strike call on a high sinking fastball from Alvarez, successfully getting the count changed to a ball.
He then worked the count to a favorable 3-1 and pulled the fifth pitch, an outside fastball, for a single to right field.
However, he was unable to score as the subsequent hitters failed to drive him in.
Lee collected his second hit in his third at-bat in the bottom of the fifth inning, with the team trailing 3-0.
With one out and runners on first and third, he blasted an RBI double down the right-field line against the relief pitcher, right-hander Brad Lord.
In a full-count situation, he skillfully hit a difficult, low, inside fastball to produce the hit.
Both runners on first and third crossed home plate during the play.
In his fourth at-bat in the bottom of the seventh with the team trailing 5-2, he was out on a grounder to the pitcher after a full-count battle. In his final at-bat in the bottom of the ninth with the score at 6-2, he hit a grounder to first base.
With one out, he hit a sharp ball to the right side, but it was fielded by the opposing first baseman.
Despite Lee's efforts, the San Francisco Giants lost the game 6-3.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.