"I thought it was a bullet" – Jung Hoo Lee rockets a 153 km/h fastball back at 165 km/h with sheer power... Any doubts about him as the No. 5 hitter are gone

A sharp crack split the air at Scottsdale Stadium, the sound echoing clean and loud. Before the fielders could even react, the ball was already dropping in front of the left fielder. The hitter who turned a heavy 153 km/h Major League fastball into a 164.8 km/h "bullet" back up the middle was Jung Hoo Lee. In that instant, the precise contact hitter we thought we knew revealed that he now has fully developed power as well.
Jung Hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants is, quite literally, tearing up spring training. He is not just collecting hits; the quality of his contact has risen to a level worthy of the top tier of Major League Baseball.
On the 21st (Korea time), the Giants faced the Kansas City Royals in a 2026 MLB spring training game at Scottsdale Stadium in the State of Arizona. San Francisco won 5–2, and the brightest star of the day was clearly Jung Hoo Lee, who started as the No. 5 hitter and right fielder. He went 2-for-3 with one RBI, but the truly chilling part was not the numbers. It was the way the ball was coming off his bat.
From the start, he looked locked in. In his first at-bat in the bottom of the second, he was retired on a line drive to shortstop, but the timing and contact were perfect. By the third inning, with his swing fully warmed up, Jung Hoo Lee finally unleashed.


There were two outs with a runner on second, a clear scoring opportunity. On the third pitch of the at-bat, starter Ryan Burgett fired a 153 km/h four-seam fastball that came hard into the strike zone. Jung Hoo Lee’s bat whipped through the zone without the slightest delay. The exit velocity was a staggering 164.8 km/h, a textbook "hard-hit" ball by any Major League standard. The line drive to left field easily brought the runner home from second.
What happened next was just as intriguing. After driving in the run, Jung Hoo Lee aggressively charged for second base and was thrown out. In a typical game story, that might simply be recorded as a baserunning mistake. But those at the ballpark saw it differently. Even in a spring training game, his fierce determination to take an extra base and his fearless slide into the bag were thrilling signs that his physical condition and sharpness are at "100% and then some."
With his feel for hitting now fully dialed in, Jung Hoo Lee added a clean single to right in his third at-bat in the sixth inning with two outs and the bases empty, then left the game for a pinch-runner, ending his day on a high note. He showed the complete profile of a spray hitter who can drive the ball to both right and left with equal ease.
Thanks to this performance, Jung Hoo Lee’s spring training batting average has soared to an eye-popping .421 (8 hits in 19 at-bats). Even more encouraging is how seamlessly he has settled into the No. 5 spot in the lineup. Getting on base is a given, and now he is executing the role of a clutch hitter in the heart of the order, cashing in scoring chances at what feels like 120%. It is no wonder the smiles are not leaving the faces of the San Francisco coaches in the dugout.
Spring training is now heading into the home stretch. A batting average over .400 and balls leaving the bat at 165 km/h – all the preparations appear complete. San Francisco will play its final spring training game on the 22nd against the Cleveland Guardians. The only question now is what kind of jaw-dropping contact Jung Hoo Lee will produce in this last rehearsal. The anticipation is already building.


jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter