Jung Hoo Lee Strikes Out on Three Pitches with Bases Loaded, Goes Hitless in 5 At-Bats

San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee seems to be experiencing a cooling-off period at the plate.

Starting as the fifth batter and right fielder in an away game against the New York Mets in the 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season held at Citi Field in New York, Lee went hitless with two strikeouts in five at-bats.

His season batting average dropped from 0.283 to 0.280.

Over his last five games, he has recorded just one hit in 21 at-bats, for a batting average of 0.063.

Since September, he has now played three games without a hit in five at-bats.

On this day, Lee squandered multiple scoring opportunities.

In his first plate appearance in the top of the second inning with his team trailing 3-0, he led off and was retired on a groundout to second base against Mets right-handed starting pitcher Nolan McLean.

Then, with two outs and runners on first and second in the third inning, he grounded out to second base again, missing a chance to drive in a run.

The top of the fifth inning, with the team trailing 7-2, was particularly regrettable.

Lee walked away empty-handed after striking out on three straight pitches with the bases loaded and no outs, a prime opportunity for a big inning.

He watched McLean's first pitch, a sinking fastball right down the middle, go by for a strike, then fouled off a low inside curveball, and was finally called out on the third pitch, a sinking fastball that caught the top edge of the strike zone.

Following this, the Giants failed to score a single run, ending the fifth inning empty-handed.

In the top of the seventh inning with the score 9-3 and one out with runners on first and second, Lee was once again retired on a swinging strikeout.

In his final plate appearance in the ninth inning, he was retired on a fly ball to left field.

Despite racking up 12 team hits on the day, the Giants managed only 6 runs and fell 10-6.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.