Genius BQ! If you can't swing, you will compete with your eyes. SF Lee Jung-hoo walked on base in the 9th inning of the MLB opening game → A great upset was triggered
Mar 28, 2025
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San Francisco scored a great start to the season on the 28th (Korea time) with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Cincinnati Reds in the 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) away opener at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, Ohio.
San Francisco scored four runs in the final game of the regular inning in the top of the ninth inning when it was trailing 2-3, eventually coming from behind to win 6-3. It was Lee Jung-hoo, who started as the third center fielder, who drew the spark of this come-from-behind victory. Lee Jung-hoo, who entered the batter's box without a runner with one out, walked after a persistent game with Cincinnati closer Ian Zibo.
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The situation with two outs and runners on the first and third bases is getting worse. No. 6 hitter Patrick Bailey played the role of troubleshooter. He pulled the fifth pitch at the ball count of 3B1S and hit a timely hit that separated the right-center field. Lee Jung-hoo lightly homered to tie the score 3-3.
San Francisco's concentration continued. With two outs and runners on the first and third bases, No. 7 hitter Wilmer Flores pulled Ji-bo's fourth pitch with a ball count of 1B2S and blew a delightful three-run home run over the left-center wall. It was a moment when the seeds of reversal sown by Lee Jung-hoo paid off brilliantly. San Francisco, which scored four runs in the top of the ninth inning, gave up one run in the last offensive inning of Cincinnati in the bottom of the ninth inning, but won 6-4.
According to MLB records, the victory was the first in San Francisco's history to come from behind in the opening nine away games. And it was Lee Jung-hoo who played an important role in the birth of this valuable record.
Lee Jung-hoo's swing on the day did not properly target the fastball in the late 90s. It seemed that the aftermath of the back pain that occurred in the second half of the exhibition game remained. Lee Jung-hoo had a good batting feeling at the beginning of the exhibition game. He was batting .300 (9 hits in 30 at-bats) with an OPS of .967 in the first 12 games. However, he took a break for about 10 days in the aftermath of the back pain that occurred on the 15th, and in the process, the feeling of hitting fell sharply.
Thankfully, the back pain disappeared, but the good feeling of hitting also disappeared. In the end, Lee Jung-hoo was silent with no hits in 11 consecutive at-bats at the end of the exhibition game. The aftermath continued until the opening game.
In his first at-bat after two outs in the top of the first inning, the bat couldn't keep up with Cincinnati starter Hunter Green's fastball. But it was not just Lee Jung-hoo. Cincinnati's starting pitcher Green's pitching was terrifying on the day. Wade, the leadoff hitter, had a fly ball to shortstop and Adames, the second, had a standing strikeout.
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Lee Jung-hoo turned the bat with all his might, but only split the air. In this way, his first at-bat was a three-ball strikeout. It wasn't a good start. He is the center hitter of the team, but he couldn't hit the ball of an ace pitcher in the Major League at all.
However, after this failure, Lee Jung-hoo's genius appeared in earnest. Showing himself that the batter's weapon is not only swing, he recreated the genius 'Baseball IQ (BQ, Baseball IQ)' that was displayed on the KBO stage. As the swing speed was somewhat lacking, he turned the direction of the game with a sharp pioneering eye.
In fact, the batter's original purpose is to get on base. This is why the on-base percentage is more valued than the traditional batting average in modern baseball. Lee Jung-hoo fulfilled this purpose faithfully.
Trailing 0-3, he came to the plate for the second time after one out in the top of the fourth inning and played his second game with Green. Green faced 10 batters until the fourth inning with one out, and was struggling to get seven strikeouts with one hit and no run.
Lee Jung-hoo overcame this green with his eyes, not his bat. I watched the first 98.3 miles (158.2 kilometers) four-seam fastball hit the strike zone. Green was full of confidence. He threw a second-pitch splitter (88.3 miles) towards his body, which fell to the floor and became a ball.
The ball control has been shaken since then. The 98-mile core seemed out of control. The third ball headed high outside. On the other hand, the fourth pitch came into the body. Lee Jung-hoo watched the whole process calmly. In the end, the fifth four-seam in the ball count of 3B1S also slightly escaped the strike zone on his body and became a ball. It was a close position, but Lee Jung-hoo endured it well.
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It was an inflection point of the game created by Lee Jung-hoo, who recognized his problems and quickly changed the direction of the game to a pioneer.
Lee Jung-hoo struck out swinging after a count match with Scott Barlow, the opponent's second pitcher, in his third at-bat after two outs in the top of the sixth inning when he followed 2-3. Barlow's keen sweeper misled his bat. The ability to cope with breaking balls also seemed to need more readjustment.
However, he walked again in his fourth at-bat in the ninth inning. Lee Jung-hoo, who came to the batter's box after one out, made a walk in the game against Cincinnati closer Jibo.
It was a great game. It was a 2S disadvantage first, but I was calm and didn't fall for the three high outside handouts. When the full count was reached, Jibo threw a winning ball. 94.7 and 93.3 miles four-seam were placed in the low strike zone outside on the sixth and seventh pitches, respectively. It is a course of extreme evil for left-handed batter Lee Jung-hoo. However, Lee Jung-hoo fouled it all out.
When the ball was blocked, Jibo, who was embarrassed, threw a secret weapon sweeper for the eighth ball. However, the ball control shook and flew out to the high course outside. Lee Jung-hoo walked out to first base while watching leisurely. From here, the prelude to the San Francisco counteroffensive opened.
In the end, Lee Jung-hoo had two walks, two strikeouts, and two points in two at-bats. Although it was regrettable that he couldn't get an opening hit, it can be said that he did his part enough. Above all, he showed his ability to get on base with his sharp pioneering eyes, and became a foothold for the team to score points each time. It was a game with a fairly high contribution to the victory.
It wasn't bad for a first start. I was able to confirm once again how clever Lee Jung-hoo is. Now, I think I can play better as a key player in San Francisco if I just get a sense of hitting.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
