Lee Jung-hoo (25-San Francisco Giants) humbled himself when asked about Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar Shohei Ohtani (29-Los Angeles Dodgers) during a return interview at Incheon International Airport on April 19. “He’s the best baseball player in the world, and I’m just starting out, so there’s no comparison,” he said.
But as they embark on new beginnings side by side, Lee and Oh are likely to be mentioned together often in the future.
For Lee, who has been compared to his father, former LG Twins coach Lee Jong-beom, since he was drafted by the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom) in the first round in 2017, he now has another person to compare himself to.
Because Lee Jong-beom was so successful, Lee Jung-hoo naturally attracted attention early on. The attention could have weighed heavily on his shoulders, but he didn’t live in his father’s shadow.
In his first year, he played in all 144 games, batting .324 with two home runs, 47 RBIs, 111 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases, 토토사이트 setting new records for most hits and runs scored by a KBO rookie in history. He was named Rookie of the Year.
Since his fresh start, Lee has continued to grow.
Last year, he won five batting titles (batting average, hits, RBIs, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage) and was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the regular season. After winning the MVP award, Lee said, “I feel like I can put down my father’s name and walk through my baseball life under my own name.” He also shook off the pressure.
On the 13th, he signed a six-year, $113 million (approx. KRW 14.84 billion) contract with San Francisco to fulfill his dream of playing in the big leagues.
Lee has already garnered a lot of attention as he heads to the MLB after calming down in the KBO.
Not to mention, he’ll be facing off against the Dodgers, a rival team in the National League (NL) West. Ohtani, who came to the United States in 2018 from Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), shocked the sports world this winter by signing a massive 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers.
Lee and Oh will wear the new uniforms starting in the 2024 season and play against each other. The signing of Lee Jung-hoo and Otani is expected to be a big deal as they will represent Korea and Japan respectively.
At Lee’s signing press conference on the 16th, a question about the Dodgers’ Ohtani came up.
Lee Jung-hoo, who had been answering questions and showing off his charm throughout the press conference, simply smiled and said, “I’ll do my best,” when Otani’s name came up.
There’s a reason. Compared to Ohtani, who is already a two-time unanimous MVP in the MLB, Lee is a “rookie” who has just made his first steps in the big leagues.
“I honestly don’t think it makes sense to compare myself to Ohtani,” Lee said humbly at his return press conference. “I think I just have to do my job and work hard, and I don’t feel any pressure because I’m not as good as him,” he emphasized.
Now, new challenges lie ahead for Lee. 바카라사이트 순위 Just as he didn’t let the comparisons to his father intimidate him, he is preparing to carve out his own path in the MLB.
