Didn't you fall down? Why was the coach immersed in Lee Jung-hoo's amazing defense
Aug 18, 2025
|
San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin was worried as he watched center fielder Lee Jung-hoo's amazing defense against the Tampa Bay Rays on the 18th (Korea time). I thought Lee Jung-hoo was lying on the ground due to his injury.
The problem was like this. In the top of the fourth inning, Tampa Bay's leadoff hitter Yandy Díaz's ball headed between center field and right field. At least a double and a triple. Lee Jung-hoo chased quickly but had to try a sliding catch as the ball continued to bend toward right field.
The first ball that seemed to have entered Lee Jung-hoo's glove soon popped up. Lee Jung-hoo desperately tried to get the ball, and the ball started with Lee Jung-hoo's chest and flowed down the body and stuck between his knees. It was a fly ball to center field caught with both knees.
Lee Jung-hoo kneeled down for a while and stood prone on the ground so as not to drop the ball he caught with his knee. This is where the misunderstanding of the San Francisco bench arose.
Director Melvin said, `I thought Lee Jung-hoo was down. I was worried because I thought he hurt his ankle or somewhere. I wasn't sure because he had been down for a while. The replay took a while, but our guys talked about the catch and noticed that he caught it with his knee, relieved that "It was really good. I've never seen a defense like that before," he said, raising his thumb.
Lee Jung-hoo didn't have any problems with his body. Lee Jung-hoo got up with the ball on his knee, took it out and proved it to everyone in the stadium, saying, `I got it.'
The U.S. local broadcasters, who expected to miss the ball, exclaimed repeatedly. "I got you with my knees!It's a 10-year defense after shouting " "It's not just once a day, a week, a month, a season, it's a defense that can come out once every 10 years."
MLB.com noted the strange defense by labeling it 'KNEE' instead of 'LEE'.
|
|
Right fielder Drew Gilbert, who watched Lee Jung-hoo catch with his knee the closest, said "It's really crazy. It was really impressive. It was a decisive play from Su-hoon."
Of course, not everyone could laugh.
Díaz, whose long shot was stolen, said "I was sure it was a 200% double. But it was unfortunate that Lee Jung-hoo caught it. I think Lee Jung-hoo is the only player to play that defense. It was a really unusual play."
In any case, Melvin was relieved by the healthy physical condition of Lee Jung-hoo. Lee Jung-hoo injured his shoulder during defense last year, his debut season in the Major League, and ended the season after playing only 37 games.
Lee Jung-hoo is a key player who signed a six-year, $113 million (about 156.4 billion won) contract with San Francisco ahead of last season. It is almost time to end the season, but if Lee Jung-hoo leaves, San Francisco's power will be hit hard.
Lee Jung-hoo hit .260 (115 hits in 443 at-bats) with six home runs, 46 RBIs and an OPS of .733 in 118 games this year. Compared to last year, his slugging power improved remarkably, with 28 doubles and 10 triples, but the hitting slump in the middle of the season was too long. Still, he seems to have recovered a little as he hit 0.339 (19 hits in 56 at-bats) in August. The recent six-game hitting streak has continued.
Lee Jung-hoo's defense was more of a strange defense than a very stable one, but he left an impressive scene to the extent that he plastered all the SNS related to Major League Baseball. Snatching a ball with the knee is also a talent if it's an athletic talent. On the day of Lee Jung-hoo's performance, San Francisco won 7 to 1.
|
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
