Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants recorded five hits in a single game for the first time since reaching Major League Baseball (MLB) three years ago, returning his batting average to the .300 mark.
Lee started as the No. 5 hitter and right fielder in the Giants' road game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field in Denver on Sunday (Korea time), going 5-for-6 with two RBIs and one run scored.
Lee, who had been on the injured list with a back muscle strain before returning for the weekend three-game series against Colorado on May 30, picked up four hits upon his return. He continued his hot streak with two hits including a triple the following day, before exploding for five hits in this game.
Lee had recorded four-hit games four times since reaching the big leagues, but this marked his first five-hit performance. It was also his second career five-hit game as a professional, following a 5-for-6 outing against the LG Twins in August 2018, his second year in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League.
Lee's season batting average rose to .304, surpassing the .300 mark for the first time in 33 days since April 29.
San Francisco, which racked up 25 hits including three home runs, won 19-6 in a rout that snapped a five-game losing streak.
Lee opened the scoring in the first inning with a clean RBI single up the middle in his first at-bat with two outs and runners on first and third. After flying out to left field in the third inning, Lee led off the fifth inning with a double to center, sparking a big rally with the Giants leading 4-3.
Lee scored on Matt Chapman's double immediately after, as San Francisco put up seven runs in the fifth alone to take an 11-3 lead and seize control of the game. With the lineup turning over, Lee batted twice in the fifth inning and reached base again with a single up the middle.
In the seventh inning with one out and a runner on second, he hit an RBI single to center field to extend the lead to 14-5. He added another single up the middle in the eighth before being replaced by a pinch runner. Lee's RBI total for the season climbed to 19.
Along with Lee, Rafael Devers (four hits) and Willy Adames (three hits) were among five Giants batters with three or more hits, leading the offensive onslaught.
