Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants), who unfortunately ended his first Major League Baseball (MLB) season early due to a shoulder injury, will return home on October 1.
Lee Jung-hoo’s agency, Rico Sports Agency, said on the 27th that “Lee Jung-hoo will enter the country on the afternoon of October 1st.”
At Incheon International Airport, Lee Jung-hoo plans to interview him about his feelings about his first MLB season and his rehabilitation process.
Lee Jung-hoo ran up to catch Jaymer Candelario’s ball in the top of the first inning of a home game against the Cincinnati Reds at Oracle Park on May 13 and hit the fence hard.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed “structural damage” to Lee Jung-hoo’s left shoulder, and he decided to operate after meeting several medical staff.
Lee Jung-hoo was put on the operating table in early June. Rehabilitation after surgery took about six months, and Lee finished his first MLB season with a batting average of 0.262 (38 hits in 145 times at bat), two homers, eight RBIs, two steals and an OPS of 0.641 left in 37 games.
Lee Jung-hoo was rehabilitated in San Francisco and visited the stadium when the home game was held.
On June 27, he received the first pitch from his father, former LG Twins coach Lee Jong-beom, for the “Korean Heritage Night.”
At the time, Lee Jung-hoo promised, “I will recover well and show good performance from next year.”
Lee Jung-hoo, who remained in the U.S. and rehabilitated, will fly to Korea at the end of the MLB regular season.
Lee Jung-hoo has the experience of quickly returning to the ground after shoulder surgery. While playing for the Nexen Heroes (currently Kiwoom) in the KBO League, he injured his left shoulder while sliding against the Doosan Bears in Jamsil on June 19, 2018, and was diagnosed with a ruptured joint.
Lee Jung-hoo returned to the ground after a month by pulling the rehabilitation clock, but Lee Jung-hoo injured his left shoulder again while throwing himself in defense in the bottom of the ninth inning of the second semi-playoff game against the Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on October 20 of that year.
Eventually, Lee Jung-hoo underwent anterior and inferior left shoulder joint and net suture surgery in November 2018.
Lee Jung-hoo accelerated his rehabilitation after surgery, completing his rehabilitation in four months, faster than he expected before surgery, and played the opening game of the 2019 regular season normally. 스포츠토토
Since then, Lee Jung-hoo has reigned as the best hitter in the KBO League without experiencing the aftereffects of shoulder surgery.
This year, he signed a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco to fulfill his dream of becoming a big leaguer.
MLB’s first season ended too short, but even if he returns in 2025, Lee Jung-hoo could play five more seasons for San Francisco.
Lee Jung-hoo is focusing on rehabilitation to train normally in spring camp in February next year and play in the opening game of the 2025 regular season.
