Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants will take the field for the 2026 Major League Baseball season opener.
Lee will start as the fifth batter and right fielder when the San Francisco Giants host the New York Yankees in the official MLB Opening Day game at Oracle Park in San Francisco, California, at 5:05 p.m. local time on Saturday (9:05 a.m. KST, March 26).
Now in his third year with the Giants, Lee has switched to right field starting this season to focus more on his hitting.
Heading into the opener, Lee warmed up his swing during spring training. He batted .455 with an OPS of 1.227 across eight spring training games. He also displayed power hitting in two exhibition games against Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League, belting a three-run home run and a double.
Lee's past performance against the Yankees gives him added confidence. In a three-game road series against New York, he posted a remarkable .444 batting average and 2.171 OPS, going 4-for-9 with three home runs, four walks, and one strikeout.
With Lee slotted fifth, the Giants set their lineup as follows: Luis Arraez (2B) – Matt Chapman (3B) – Rafael Devers (DH) – Willy Adames (SS) – Lee Jung-hoo (RF) – Heliot Ramos (LF) – Casey Schmitt (1B) – Patrick Bailey (C) – Harrison Bader (CF).
Right-hander Logan Webb will take the mound as the starting pitcher. Webb went 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA last season and has been the Giants' ace with five consecutive seasons of double-digit wins.
Lee will face Yankees left-hander Max Fried, who led both major leagues in wins last season with a 19-5 record across 32 starts and posted a 2.86 ERA.
Lee, who made his big league debut in the 2024 season, will face Fried for the first time. Fried is a two-time National League All-Star (2022, 2024) and was named an American League All-Star last year.
The Yankees set their lineup as follows: Trent Grisham (CF) – Aaron Judge (RF) – Cody Bellinger (LF) – Ben Rice (1B) – Giancarlo Stanton (DH) – Jazz Chisholm Jr. (2B) – Jose Caballero (SS) – Ryan McMahon (3B) – Austin Wells (C).