Lee Jung-hoo sets new MLB hitting streak record for South Koreans
Quick Look
- Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants has set a new Major League Baseball record for the longest hitting streak by a South Korean player, extending it to 17 games.
- Despite his performance, the Giants lost to the Washington Nationals 6-3.
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Why It Matters
Lee Jung-hoo, a former two-time batting champion in the Korea Baseball Organization, signed with the San Francisco Giants in December 2023. He has now set a new record for the longest hitting streak by a South Korean player in MLB history.
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 10 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants is now the owner of the longest hitting streak by a South Korean player in Major League Baseball (MLB) history.
Lee went 2-for-5 with two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 17 games, though the Giants still lost to the Washington Nationals 6-3 at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Tuesday (local time).
With his fifth multihit effort of June, Lee broke a tie with Choo Shin-soo and Kim Ha-seong for the longest hitting streak by a Korean batter.
Choo had a 16-game run while with the Cincinnati Reds in 2013. Kim, currently playing for the Atlanta Braves, also had a 16-game streak in 2023 for the San Diego Padres.
Lee grounded out in the bottom of the second inning before hitting a single in the bottom third to push his streak.
Then in the bottom fifth, Lee smacked a double down the first base line off reliever Brad Lord to cash in two runs, cutting the Giants' deficit to 3-2.
Lee hit groundouts in his next two at-bats in the seventh and the ninth inning.
Lee is now batting .335 for the season, the second-best mark in MLB behind only Otto Lopez of the Miami Marlins (.341). Lee won two batting titles in the Korea Baseball Organization before signing with the Giants in December 2023.
