Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants added another game to the streak of consecutive games with a hit by a South Korean MLB player.
Lee Jung-hoo (age 28) played as the fifth hitter and right fielder in the home match versus the Washington Nationals at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on the 11th (local time in Korea). In four plate appearances, he managed two hits, drew one walk, scored two runs, and stole a base. On the prior day, he established a new milestone for South Korean MLB players by achieving a hit in 17 straight games, breaking the previous records held by Choo Shin-soo and Kim Ha-seong. The next day, he further increased this streak to 18 games within a single day.
This was his 23rd game this season where he had multiple hits. Lee Jung-hoo, who has managed two or more hits in three straight matches, increased his seasonal batting average from 0.335 to 0.338. He remained in second position within the MLB batting averages and closed the distance with top performer Otto Lopez. His standing might shift based on how others performed on that particular day.
During his initial plate appearance in the bottom of the second inning, Lee Jung-hoo faced Washington Nationals' left-handed pitcher Foster Griffin but was called out on strikes. In his next at-bat during the bottom of the fourth inning, he hit a low-breaking pitch that was just beyond the strike zone and ended up grounding out to the second baseman.
Nevertheless, he ended his silence during his third time at bat. With the Giants down 1-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning and two runners out, Lee Jung-hoo struck Griffin's first-pitch curveball toward right field, managing to get a hit. Even though the ball was low and just beyond the strike zone, his exceptional bat control transformed it into an effective hit. This single increased his streak of consecutive games with a hit to 18, starting from the match against the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 15th of last month.
At the end of the eighth inning, his speed stood out. With the team down 3–9, Lee Jung-hoo received a walk and swiftly advanced to second base—his third steal of the season. Later, he scored when Daniel Soo-yuk hit an RBI single, keeping the rally going.
The peak of excitement occurred during the bottom of the ninth inning. With a score of 7–10 against them, and two runners on base without any outs, the Giants relied on Lee Jung-hoo. The Nationals opted to bring in lefty pitcher Mitchell Parker to challenge the left-handed hitter. Even though he was behind in the count, Lee Jung-hoo managed to hit a pitch just beyond the strike zone into left field, resulting in a single that filled the bases with no one out. The next player at bat, Bryce Eldridge, delivered a walk-off home run that scored four runs. This led to an 11–10 thrilling win for the Giants.
