▲ Jung Hoo Lee celebrating
San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee recorded a multi-hit game for the first time in 10 days, raising his season batting average to 0.291.
Lee started as the cleanup hitter and right fielder in the first game of a doubleheader against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on the 30th (KST), finishing with 2 hits, 1 walk, and 2 RBIs in 3 at-bats.
This marks Lee's first multi-hit performance in a single game since August 20 against the Cleveland Guardians.
On this day, Lee faced right-handed pitcher Merrill Kelly, who played in the KBO League for the SK Wyverns (now SSG Landers) from 2015 to 2018.
Kelly returned to the United States in 2019 and has since developed into a key starting pitcher.
In the bottom of the first inning with two outs and a runner on first in a scoreless game, Lee grounded out to center field after chasing a low sinking fastball from Kelly.
Lee got a hit in their second matchup.
With the score still tied 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning with one out and a runner on first, he pulled Kelly's 4th-pitch high-and-inside fastball for a single to right field.
The hit came on a 1-ball, 2-strike count.
The two teams continued a tight pitching duel at 0-0, and Lee secured his second reaching base safely in the bottom of the sixth inning with two outs.
He drew a walk against Kelly to step on first base.
However, San Francisco failed to score due to silence from the subsequent batting lineup.
San Francisco gave up a large number of runs in the top of the seventh inning on defense.
As the mound wavered, they issued three walks and then allowed a grand slam to right field by opposing pinch hitter Lars Nootbaar, giving up 4 runs in a big inning.
Lee hit an RBI single to signal a pursuit in the bottom of the eighth inning with San Francisco trailing 5-0.
With two outs and runners on first and second, he delivered a clean RBI single to right field off newly entered right-handed pitcher Taylor Clarke.
He executed a good attack on a first-pitch changeup left right down the middle.
However, San Francisco failed to mount any further comeback and suffered a 7-1 defeat.
Kelly pitched 7 scoreless innings, allowing just 2 hits and 4 walks while striking out 7 to earn his 9th win (12th loss) of the season.
Nootbaar, who had a 3-hit game the previous day, was left out of the starting lineup on this day but came off the bench as a pinch hitter to hit a decisive grand slam, earning honors as the game's standout player.
Notably, Nootbaar's home run ball cleared the right-field wall and landed in McCovey Cove.
Home runs clearing the right-field wall at Oracle Park directly into McCovey Cove are separately tallied as splash hits, but only home runs hit by San Francisco players are officially designated as splash hits, while those hit by opposing teams are classified as "Other Home Runs into McCovey Cove."
Meanwhile, right before the game, a rare scene unfolded as San Francisco President of Baseball Operations Ron Wotus was ejected after vehemently protesting to the umpiring crew during the exchange of lineup cards.
MLB.com reported, "Wotus fiercely protested to crew chief Alan Porter regarding his ejection from the previous day's game."
The previous day, San Francisco manager Tony Vitello and veteran pitcher Logan Webb were ejected while protesting umpire calls.
Vitello was surprisingly appointed as the new manager of San Francisco last October while leading the University of Tennessee in the United States.
Entering MLB as a manager with no prior professional experience, Vitello has been ejected 5 times in his debut season alone this year.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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