Son of the Wind Lee Jung-hoo, leadoff comeback! He took the lead in escaping San Francisco for the fourth time in a row
Jul 21, 2025
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Lee Jung-hoo took over the leadoff again in 34 days. Although it is in a hitting slump, it can be seen as a batting adjustment that contains San Francisco coach Bob Melvin's desire to revitalize the team's batting lineup with his pioneering eyes and fast feet in the top lineup for the first time in a long time.
Lee Jung-hoo was selected as the first center fielder in the interleague away game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, early on the 21st (Korea time). San Francisco, which has lost four consecutive games, attempted a major change in its starting lineup to prevent a sweep loss in the final game of three consecutive Interleague games against Toronto.
The most noticeable change is Lee Jung-hoo's return to No. 1. Lee Jung-hoo came out as the first hitter in 34 days since the game against the Cleveland Guardians on June 18. Since then, Lee Jung-hoo has been in a severe hitting slump and has been hovering in the bottom batting order. However, in July, he seemed to be recovering his hitting sense again. He expressed his expectations by batting .324 (12 hits in 37 at-bats) in 10 games before the All-Star break.
However, after hitting in the first game of the second half, he only had six consecutive hits. He also had no hits in three at-bats against Toronto on the 20th. This is analyzed not because of Lee Jung-hoo's poor batting sense, but because of the opposing pitchers' persistent weaknesses. In the game on the 20th, Toronto pitchers persistently targeted Lee Jung-hoo's outer course. The infield shift is also being adjusted to reduce Lee Jung-hoo's chances of hitting.
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However, as a Melvin coach, he has no choice but to trust Lee Jung-hoo. In any case, most of the team's batters are sluggish, and they have lost four consecutive games. He tried to make a breakthrough change in the batting order with his feeling of catching straws, and Lee Jung-hoo's return to the leadoff is at the center of it.
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The Toronto starter Lee Jung-hoo should face is right-hander Jose Berrios. Berrios, who has 5 wins, 4 losses and a 3.75 ERA in 20 games this year, is not fast with an average speed of 92.2 miles (about 148.4km). However, he is the type of pitcher who induces a lot of ground balls by using various breaking balls. It can be seen as a so-called 'Guessing Style'.
There is a high possibility that Berrios will tempt a mis-hit by throwing changeups and cutters toward Lee Jung-hoo's outer course. For Lee Jung-hoo, this type of pitcher has already experienced a lot in the KBO League. It may be easier to deal with than pitchers who put in nearly 100 miles of fastballs. Attention is focusing on whether Lee Jung-hoo will properly play the leading role in escaping the team's losing streak.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
