Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants) was injured while displaying strong play. According to the team’s head coach, the injury was a dislocation of his shoulder. Indeed, the injury came as a bolt out of the blue because he has performed well recently. He injured his injured part in Korea again, and depending on the situation, he is expected to be absent for an extended period of time.

Lee Jung-hoo started the 2024 Major League Baseball home game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, on the 13th (Korea time), and was replaced by an injury after colliding heavily with the fence during defense in the top of the first inning.

Lee suffered a left foot contusion after being hit by his own ball against the Colorado Rockies on the 9th. Since then, he has been absent for three consecutive games and played in four games, further burning his motivation.

Lee Jung-hoo’s injury carries even greater significance as he came at a critical moment for his team. Cincinnati’s offense in the top of the first inning. TJ Friedl got on base with a hit ball on the first pitch, and No. 2 Eli De La Cruz was out after hitting a fly ball to right field. With one out and a runner on the first base, Friedl succeeded in stealing second base when Spencer Steyer was at bat, and took advantage of the opponent’s error to reach third base. Steyer reached base with a walk on the seventh pitch after the full count, continuing his chances with one out and runners on the first and third bases.

With Steyer continuing to steal second base, fourth hitter Jonathan Indier struck out. Two outs. But San Francisco starter Kyle Harrison continued to falter and gave up a walk to fifth starter Fairchild. Two outs and a bases-loaded crisis.

Jaymer Candelario came into the next batter’s box, and he hit the fifth ball with a ball count of 3-1. The ball went straight towards the outfield in right-center. As if he had sensed it was a home run, Candelario watched the ball for a moment and slowly headed toward the first base. At the same time, Lee Jung-hoo got off to a start. He sprinted to catch the ball. Lee Jung-hoo rushed to the fence. He was already accelerating. Just as the ball was about to cross the fence, Lee threw his body toward the fence and tried to snatch the ball. However, it slightly touched the glove and hit the upper side of the fence before coming into the ground. Lee, who was flying at the same time, collided greatly with the mesh installed on the fence and fell on the spot. While holding his shoulder, he not only scored the third and second baserunners, but also the first and the first baserunners. The batter went all the way to the second base.

Lee couldn’t stand up for a while, holding onto his left shoulder. Soon after, San Francisco’s trainer and interpreter came to the ground and ran to Lee. Fellow outfielders also gathered, and San Francisco manager Bob Melvin approached Lee to check his condition. Finally, Lee could not run anymore. The trainer held onto Lee’s left arm tightly and walked in and out of the ground. The home fans gathered at Oracle Park to give Lee a warm ovation. Tyler Fitzgerald was urgently deployed as center fielder instead of Lee.

Initially, the San Francisco Giants said Lee’s injury was due to a sprained left shoulder. According to the official social media of the San Francisco Giants, Coach Bob Melvin told an official press conference after the game that Lee’s injury was “not in good condition. His shoulder is dislocated.” “We will have magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tomorrow (local time),” Melvin added. He will undergo a detailed examination to confirm his injury more accurately.

If Lee’s shoulder condition is not good, he could end up with a long injury. “According to Bob Melvin, he has a dislocated left shoulder,” said Shana Rubin, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle. CBS Sports, another media outlet, wrote that Lee will be able to find out more about the injury after the MRI.

This is the third time since 2018 that Lee Jung-hoo has seriously injured his shoulder. Lee Jung-hoo hurt his left shoulder while attempting to slide at third base after hitting a double in the game against the Doosan Bears in the KBO League on June 19, 2018, when he played for the Kiwoom Heroes. At that time, Lee Jung-hoo was diagnosed with a ruptured left shoulder joint and throat, and received treatment and rehabilitation for about a month. Then, in the second round of the semi-playoff against the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on Oct. 20 of that year, he injured his left shoulder while playing defense in the bottom of the ninth inning. It was the same area as the injury he suffered earlier. Lee Jung-hoo, who was diagnosed with damage to his left shoulder’s lower lumbar joint, was eventually put on an operating table. If Lee Jung-hoo is listed as injured this time, it will be the first time since he entered the Major League.

Lee Jung-hoo played in 37 games this season, recording a batting average of 0.262 (38 hits in 145 times at bat), two home runs, four doubles, zero triples, eight RBIs, 15 runs scored, 10 walks, 13 strikeouts, two steals (3 failures) and a 0.310 slugging rate of 0.331 OPS (on-base plus slugging rate) of 0.641.

In the opening four consecutive games against the San Diego Padres, Lee had four hits in 14 times at bat (batting average 0.286), four RBIs, three walks, and two strikeouts. Having recorded hits and RBIs since the opening game on March 29, Lee completed his first multi-hit game on March 30 and hit his first homerun on March 31 in the Major League, raising expectations for his stellar performance. In the last game of the four consecutive games against the San Diego Padres on April 1, he garnered three walks to complete the third base game. In the three consecutive games against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Lee had three hits in 14 times at bat. In the first game of the three consecutive games against the Los Angeles Dodgers on April 2, he had multi-hit, raising his batting average to 0.316. However, in the two games with the Dodgers, he had one hit in five times at bat and no hit in four times at bat, respectively, lowering his batting average to .250.

BY: 스포츠토토