“Son of the Wind” Lee Jung-hoo Discusses This Season’s Batting Fluctuations; Korean Media Reveals Key Reason

Nicknamed the “Korean Ichiro Suzuki,” San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo has played 150 games this season, posting a .266 batting average, 8 home runs, 55 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, and an OPS of 0.735. Korean media outlet OSEN highlighted that Lee has encountered a clear hitting slump in his second MLB season, mainly because he has yet to fully adjust to high-velocity breaking balls.

During his time in the Korean Baseball Organization, Lee Jung-hoo was known as a hit machine, batting .360 in 2021 and delivering an impressive .349 average with 23 home runs and 113 RBIs in 2022. At the end of 2023, he moved to the U.S. through the posting system and signed a six-year, $113 million contract with the Giants.

However, in his first MLB season in 2024, he was sidelined after only 37 games due to left shoulder surgery. This year marks his first full season back on the field.

According to OSEN, Lee started April strong with a batting average of .324 but saw a decline to .231 in May and further dropped to .143 in June. The biggest challenge has been facing breaking balls exceeding 150 km/h. Lee admitted, “While I can adjust to fastballs, breaking balls are a completely different story. In Korea, there are no pitchers who throw breaking balls at 153 km/h; those pitches are considered fastballs there. At that speed, I often hesitate between timing for fastballs and breaking balls.”

Despite the noticeable ups and downs in his hitting, OSEN still praised Lee Jung-hoo’s value in staying healthy and consistently starting games, calling it his greatest achievement this season after overcoming injury.

The Giants finished third in the National League West this season, missing the playoffs for the fourth consecutive year. Manager Bob Melvin was dismissed on September 29. Lee Jung-hoo returned to Korea on September 30 to prepare for his third MLB season.