Lee Jung-hoo stepped up to the plate with a bat featuring the Korean flag. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Korea Bizwire) – San Francisco Giants outfielder Lee Jung-hoo has become the second Korean player ever to hit 30 doubles in a single Major League Baseball season, following Choo Shin-soo.
The 27-year-old Lee reached the milestone Wednesday (U.S. time) with a double in the Giants’ 12-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Oracle Park in San Francisco.
Lee’s hit came in the fourth inning off Cubs starter Colin Rea, marking his 30th double of the season, a feat only one other Korean has achieved.
Choo, now an adviser to the owner of the SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), holds the record for the most 30-double seasons by a Korean player in MLB with eight times.
His 43 doubles recorded in 2012 remain the single-season high for a Korean in the majors.
Lee’s 30 doubles currently tie him for eighth place in the MLB National League, five behind league leader Matt Olson of the Atlanta Braves.
The milestone also placed Lee in a select company of players within Giants history. He became only the fifth player in the club’s history to record at least 30 doubles and 10 triples in the same season, joining Willie Mays (1958), Bobby Bonds (1970), Garry Maddox (1973), and Angel Pagan (2012).
(Yonhap)
