Lee Jung-hoo (28, San Francisco Giants), who led his team to victory with a multi-homer performance on trade deadline day, said he paid no attention to trade rumors and expressed his affection for his club.
The San Francisco Chronicle, a local newspaper in San Francisco, reported on the 4th (Korea time) the contents of an interview Lee gave after finishing a Major League Baseball (MLB) road game against the Texas Rangers.
"When I got to the clubhouse today, a lot of things were going on," Lee said after the game. "But as a baseball player, you have to immerse yourself in the game and focus on what happens on the field. I think that's why we got a good result today."
He added, "The Giants gave me the opportunity to come to MLB and gave me the contract I have now. If I achieve any success in MLB, I want to do it with the Giants. I just want to see how far this team can go."
On the trade deadline day, San Francisco moved to reshape its roster, trading away starting pitcher Robbie Ray, the 2021 American League (AL) Cy Young Award winner, National League (NL) batting leader Luis Arraez, and outfielder Elliot Ramos.
Lee, who had likewise been mentioned as a trade candidate, put on a stellar performance amid the unsettled atmosphere, going 3-for-4 (with two home runs) with one stolen base, three RBIs, and two runs scored to lead his team to a 5-1 win.
Including his seventh and eighth home runs of the season, Lee recorded three or more hits in a game for the 10th time this season, raising his season batting average to .306.
