SAN FRANCISCO — On Tuesday night, Jung Hoo Lee faced some serious challenges. Yet, the impact he made ended up being more significant than the ones he encountered.
Lee accomplished the longest home run of his career, sending the ball over the fence at Triples Alley, the farthest part of Oracle Park. This crucial hit propelled the Giants to a 3-1 win over the Athletics.
Then came an unexpected moment of retribution.
In the sixth inning, after walking for the third time, Lee attempted to steal second base. He met the forearm of second baseman Jeff McNeil upon arrival, which sent him awkwardly into the path of his slide, just as a wide throw was coming in.
Initially, Lee thought the incoming ball might have struck him in an unprotected area of his head, causing a stir among the packed crowd of 40,043. In reality, it was McNeil’s arm that made contact with his face.
Manager Tony Vitello, accompanied by a trainer and translator, rushed over to check on Lee, who remained on the ground for a while, visibly shaken.
It seems that Lee couldn’t replicate the damage he did with a cutter that caught Aaron Civale’s plate, yielding his fifth home run of the season, covering 414 feet—40 feet further than his previous record. His prior longest was 406 feet.
This solo homer fired up the Giants’ offense, leading to Willie Adams hitting a double, followed by Matt Chapman driving in another run to increase their lead to 2-0.
After drawing a walk with an ABS challenge, Bryce Eldridge barely beat Rafael Devers’ single in the seventh inning, showcasing his speed as he made it home.
Lee wasn’t the only one injured during what turned into a physically intense game.
Luis Arraez was ejected after a foul pitch hit him in the shin, while Zach Geloff had to exit after being spiked in the hand by Chapman, forcing both second basemen out of the game prematurely.
What It Means
The Giants secured victory against the Marlins, ending a road trip where they had been significantly under .500, and kicked off their homestand on a positive note.
Who is Hot
Robbie Ray, despite walking four batters, didn’t let any runs slip through, nearly going eight innings. The only blemish on his record was an unearned run, which occurred after Lee mishandled a simple fly ball, allowing a batter to reach base and score.
Ray, who previously struggled earlier in the season, had one of the Giants’ longest starts and arguably his best performance to date.
Notably, Ray’s two-hit outing marked the third time out of four starts this month that he’s allowed no earned runs. He even went without walking anyone during an earlier tough game.
Having a rough May with a 6.44 ERA, he has since dropped to a 3.00 ERA, showing significant improvement in June.
Who is Not?
The game seemed poised for a comeback from catcher Daniel Suszak, who was selected from the Athletics in the Rule 5 draft after they left him unprotected, notably a former No. 28 overall pick.
However, his performance was underwhelming.
Suzak struck out three times, bringing his batting average down to .205 after returning from the disabled list. When he went on the IL, he was batting .407 with a 1.152 OPS but has now seen his average decline to .267 with an OPS of .652, precariously above Patrick Bailey’s .633.
Recognizing he was not a significant threat, the Athletics purposely walked the struggling Drew Gilbert to face Susak, a decision that proved telling as he recorded another strikeout, matching his previous two innings.
To the Next
As the Giants face their former Bay Area rivals again on Wednesday, Tyler Mahle is set to return to the rotation. He has been sidelined since May 29 due to a hamstring strain and holds a troubling record of 1-7 with a 6.04 ERA prior to his injury.
To activate him from the injured list, the Giants will need to adjust their roster accordingly.
