Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants) put on a hitting clinic with three hits, including two home runs.
On Tuesday, Lee started as the second batter and right fielder in an away game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. He went 3-for-4 with two homers, two runs scored, three run batted ins (RBIs), and a stolen base.
After striking out in his first at-bat, Lee’s bat caught fire for the rest of the game.
With the Giants up 2-0 in the top of the third, Lee stepped to the plate with one out and nobody on. He pounced on a 83 mph (about 133.6 km/h) splitter from Rangers starter Cal Quantrill, crushing it on a 1-1 count.
The ball sailed over the right-center field fence for a solo shot, traveling an impressive 410 feet (about 125m).
It was Lee’s seventh homer of the season, coming nine days after he went yard against the Los Angeles Angels on July 26.
Riding the momentum, Lee singled to left in the fifth with two outs.
He immediately swiped second and took third on an errant throw by the catcher, notching his eighth steal of the year.
However, he was stranded there as the inning ended.
Lee’s bat wasn’t done yet.
Leading off the eighth, he took Rangers reliever Payton Gray deep on the first pitch, launching an 86.3 mph (about 138.8 km/h) slider over the right-center field wall. The 385-foot (about 117.3m) blast was Lee’s second homer of the night.
This marked Lee’s second multi-homer game in the majors.
His first came on April 14 last year against the New York Yankees.
With his seventh and eighth homers of the season, Lee has now matched his total from last year. One more will set a new personal best, while two more will give him his first double-digit homer season in the big leagues.
In his final at-bat, Lee added another RBI with a sac fly to center with the bases loaded in the ninth. It was his fifth three-RBI game this season.
The Giants allowed a run in the ninth but held on for a 5-1 win, snapping a three-game skid. They improved to 48-65 on the year.
The Rangers, now mired in a six-game losing streak, fell to 55-58, allowing the Seattle Mariners to pull even for second place in the AL West.