Lee Jung-hoo homers in return from injury

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants hit his first spring training season home run. On Monday local time, the Giants played a 2025 Major League Baseball (MLB) spring training game against the Colorado Rockies at their spring camp home stadium, Scottsdale Stadium in Arizona, ending in a 2-2 tie.

Starting as the No. 3 hitter and center fielder in his second spring training game, Lee stepped up to bat in the bottom of the first inning with two outs and no runners on base, with his team trailing 0-1. After watching the first pitch, a ball, he swung at a 97 mph fastball from Colorado’s starting pitcher Chase Dollander, sending it over the right-field fence.

It was Lee's first home run in an MLB game in 310 days, his last coming on April 21 of last year against the Arizona Diamondbacks at home before suffering a shoulder injury in May. Interestingly, he also hit his first home run in his second spring training game last year.

In his second at-bat in the third inning, Lee drew a walk but flew out to left field in the fifth. He was then replaced by Jonah Cox in the sixth inning. Lee finished the game with a spring training batting record 2-for-5 (.400 batting average).

Dollander, who gave up Lee’s home run, has yet to make his MLB debut but is considered a top prospect. The Rockies selected him ninth overall in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, and MLB.com ranked him as the fifth-best right-handed pitching prospect this year.

San Francisco started veteran pitcher Justin Verlander, whom they acquired in free agency. Verlander, the active leader in career wins with 262, gave up a home run to Colorado’s No. 3 hitter Michael Toglia in the first inning but pitched a scoreless second. He allowed only the solo homer in his two innings of work, striking out one and issuing one walk.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com