Outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, who wore the San Francisco Giants uniform, expressed his intention to challenge the “splash hit” that sends the ball over the fence on the right side of Oracle Park, his home stadium, to the sea. The comment came because Hwang Jae-gyun (KT WIZ), a senior player among the Korean players in San Francisco, already holds the record for hits, home runs and RBIs.
Lee Jung-hoo challenged his way to the U.S. by posting in the Major League this winter. As a result, Lee joined hands with San Francisco on Dec. 15 with a six-year mega-hit deal worth $113 million (W146.9 billion). It is the highest contract amount ever by a Korean player who made it to the Major League and the largest Asian fielder.
Lee Jung-hoo, who returned home through Incheon International Airport on December 19, met with reporters and held a press conference on joining San Francisco.
Lee Jung-hoo said, “I’m really happy to enter the stage of my dream since I was in elementary school. Since I achieved my first goal, my second goal became to go and do well. When I received the first offer from San Francisco, I had mixed feelings. There was a lot of pressure, but I remember the most when the agent said, ‘Don’t feel too much pressure because you’ve been rewarded for playing baseball since you were young.’ It is an honor to join a prestigious Major League club, and I really thank you for watching the NBA and continuing to pay attention to the club’s social media even after signing the contract.”
Lee visited Oracle Park, his home stadium, with his father Lee Jong-beom and his mother for the joining ceremony in San Francisco. Oracle Park, which has the ocean right behind the outfield of the baseball stadium, is one of the most beautiful Major League Baseball stadiums.
“As soon as I entered the stadium, I immediately felt that this was the Major League Baseball Stadium. As the most beautiful Major League Baseball stadium was huge and magnificent, I could only think of it as great. Obviously, the right fence looked very tall even though it was short. As the center-right side is relatively wide, I thought that this was a stadium that could make the most of my strengths, not just a home run hitter,” Lee said with a nod. 카지노사이트 순위
The Korean player who joined the San Francisco Giants before Lee Jung-hoo is none other than Hwang Jae-gyun. Hwang challenged the U.S. team ahead of the 2017 season and signed a split contract with San Francisco. At that time, he stayed with Triple-A in the minor leagues and made his Major League debut with a dramatic call-up on June 29. In his Major League debut, Hwang had a thrilling performance by launching a two-run homerun in the final. Hwang joined the San Francisco Giants in the 2017 season, recording eight hits, one homer, and five RBIs.
When asked about his record as the No. 1 Korean player in the San Francisco Giants, Lee mentioned “splash hit.” A splash hit means hitting a homer over the right fence of Oracle Park and into the sea. “I want to challenge myself to become the No. 1 splash hit for a Korean. That’s a famous record only in San Francisco, and it’s worth trying as a left-handed batter,” Lee said with a smile.
Lee also expressed his opinion on adapting to the outfield defense at Oracle Park. The San Francisco Giants already announced its intention to use Lee as the leadoff and center fielder. “Left and center were fine, but right-center seemed a little bit difficult to defend. As the center-right side was deeper and the fence was made of brick-like material, it was hard to predict where the hit would hit the fence. I think we need to pay attention to those areas and play defense.”
