Обсуждение участника:Lee Jeong-hoo, who had a high batting average of 0.414, finished the ARI exhibition game well
Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), who has been batting hard with a batting average of 0.414 including hits in the last three consecutive games, had a sweet break. Instead, he watched the game from the bench and had an interview with local broadcasters.
Lee Jung-hoo failed to make his name on the starting lineup for the 2024 Major League Baseball exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Arizona, on the 24th (Korea time). San Francisco finished 5-11, and although he had a day off, Lee Jung-hoo was interviewed by local broadcasters.
Lee Jung-hoo, who entered the big league through the "Posting System" last winter, entered the Major League after signing a mega contract worth $113 million (about 152.1 billion won) with San Francisco for six years with the interest of numerous clubs. At the time of the contract, there were talks of "panic buy" and "overpay" for Lee Jung-hoo and San Francisco, but this negative evaluation was reflected immediately after the start of the exhibition game.
Lee Jung-hoo got off to a good start with his first hit in an exhibition game on the 28th of last month. He showed off his multi-hit performance by hitting his first home run in an exhibition game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on the 1st, and ran on the ground for five consecutive games until the game against the Colorado Rockies on the 5th. Although the good trend was cut off against the Oakland Athletics on the 10th, he showed off his unrivaled presence with a batting average of 0.414 and an OPS of 1.071 in the exhibition game, including three consecutive hits from the game against the Cincinnati Reds on the 14th to the previous day (23rd).
Lee showed impressive performance by recording his third multi-hit in the exhibition game on the previous day, and took a pleasant rest today as well. Although he did not take part in the game, he was busy day after day. So, we had time to interview local broadcasters while watching the game from the bench. When asked how it feels to watch the game on the bench first, Lee said with a smile, "This is the last game, and today is a good day to move to San Francisco after the game."
Even when he signed a massive contract worth more than 100 million dollars, there were many people who questioned his country's bold investment. However, after proving his competence in exhibition games, San Francisco fans have high expectations for Lee. When asked about his performance, Lee told his fans, "I know what I can do and what my team wants, so I trained hard and I think I did well in exhibition games. I can show many of my strengths."
A local broadcaster also asked about Lee's ankle. He had to undergo surgery after getting hurt in a game against the Lotte Giants last season. "Actually, my ankle is better. It's so perfect that I don't have to worry about it," Lee said. "I know. The stadium that I played in Korea is also a big one, so I don't think there will be any problems."
Now, Lee is adjusting well to San Francisco. When asked about "difficulties in communication," Lee replied, "There is nothing. We are together through the language of baseball. So I don't think there is anything difficult." About the Seoul series, "I checked through the highlights. A lot of Korean fans are Major League players." "I was happy to have a chance to see them play. I hope I get that chance in the future," he said.
The most impressive moment in Lee's interview was when Marco Luciano hit a home run in the bottom of the fourth inning. With no runners on and no outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when the game was tying 4-4, Luciano drew a big arch against Arizona's Logan Allen, and Lee Jung-hoo, who was interviewed by local broadcasters, couldn't keep his mouth shut. "I think I hit the furthest home run I've ever seen in my life," Lee said while choking his tongue. Asked how people react to such a situation in Korea, Lee said, "There are slanderous words used by players, and comments that can be written on TV programs and even in Korea. Everyone seems to say 'wow' in the same way."
San Francisco held a 5-4 lead until Lee Jung-hoo was interviewed. However, the game was a victory for Arizona. Arizona took the victory by scoring a whopping six points in the fifth inning, and added one more point in the sixth inning to seal the victory. San Francisco couldn't recover from the loss in its remaining offense, and lost to Arizona 5-11 in its last exhibition game.
Now, San Francisco is moving to California and entering its final preparations for the 2024 season. After taking a break, Lee Jung-hoo will play center field and first hitter in a practice game against San Francisco's Triple-A Sacramento Rivercats at Sutter Health Park in California on the 25th.