After an MLB trade deadline fire sale stripped the roster down, Jung Hoo Lee gave the Giants a reason to celebrate Monday night. Less than 24 hours later, he was sitting on the warning track after the play that cost them another game.
The Giants rallied from a two-run deficit in the ninth inning Tuesday to tie the Texas Rangers, 4-4. Their comeback ended with two outs in the bottom half when Ezequiel Duran drove a high fly ball toward right field.
Lee hesitated before retreating, struggled to locate the ball and lost his footing near the warning track. He extended his glove, but the ball landed beside him.
The Giants outfielder remained seated with his hat nearby as Texas celebrated a 5-4 victory after a walk off double.
Giants manager Tony Vitello believed Lee initially reacted properly to a ball that appeared capable of leaving the park.
“He did what he needed to do on the break,” Vitello said. “He just didn’t finish the catch.”
It was not Lee’s first difficult read. With the bases loaded in the eighth, Duran lined another ball over his head for a two-run double. Lee again appeared slow to identify its flight, allowing Texas to build the lead San Francisco erased one inning later.
The defensive struggles followed one of Lee’s best offensive performances of the season. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs, three RBIs and a stolen base during Monday’s 5-1 victory over Texas.
The 27-year-old has otherwise been one of the few dependable hitters in an inconsistent Giants lineup. He is batting .306 with eight homers, 43 RBIs, 55 runs and eight steals while recording hits in 11 of his past 13 games.
“The game just ended, so you’re sour and wondering what could have gone differently,” Vitello said. “You can pick apart a million things.”
That has become a familiar exercise during a difficult Giants season. Promising performances have repeatedly given way to frustrating setbacks before San Francisco can build momentum.
Across two games, Lee embodied both sides of that instability: the dynamic hitter capable of carrying the Giants and the struggling defender left watching another opportunity fall beyond his reach.
