SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants already knew that Jung Hoo Lee had the speed to make running catches in center field. They knew he was fast enough to stretch doubles into triples. But they hadn’t seen him at his quickest and most elusive.
For that, Lee had to collect the first walk-off hit of his career. He played the hero in the ninth inning Thursday afternoon, slashing a line drive to right field for the last of the Giants’ three consecutive singles against Chicago Cubs closer Daniel Palencia. Pinch runner Christian Koss scored easily from second base while sliding headfirst across the plate, sending the resurgent Giants to a 4-3 victory and a three-game sweep of the NL’s wild-card leaders.
Lee’s game-winner also sent his teammates charging onto the field, led by Willy Adames, who contributed a pair of home runs. Adames got a hold of Lee’s jersey and rookie Drew Gilbert had him in his grasp in the grass beyond second base. But Lee broke free before Heliot Ramos, toting a cooler sloshing with ice water, could join the scrum. It turns out that Lee is more water-averse than a cat in the grass when the sprinklers turn on. He moves almost as quickly, too.
“I was trying to run away from the boys,” Lee said through Korean interpreter Justin Han. “The water in the dugout is really cold. I remember last time when I got hit by the water, it was freezing. And I’m usually the one that beats up the guy when somebody hits a walk-off. So I thought there might have been a little bit of revenge there.”
Revelry, not revenge, was on everyone’s mind, including an elated crowd that chanted Lee’s name all the way until he descended the dugout stairs. It hasn’t been an easy first full season in the major leagues for Lee, who could only establish so much last season when he sustained a dislocated shoulder in his 37th game. After a hot start in April, the hits stopped coming. Lee was frustrated with strike calls on the outer half so he tinkered by moving up on the plate. In June and July, only the Yankees’ Cody Bellinger stood with his center of mass closer to the plate than Lee did. The adjustment didn’t work. Lee batted just .158 on balls in play in June.
The hits are falling now. Lee has hit safely in 22 of 24 games in August. He’s batting .347 on balls in play this month. Even though he hasn’t been a consistent difference maker at the plate, he’s still managing to compile some impressive numbers. When he hit a double Wednesday night, he became just the fifth Giants player in the club’s San Francisco era to collect 30 doubles and 10 triples in a season. There are no slouches on that list. The other names are Willie Mays, Bobby Bonds, Garry Maddox and Angel Pagán.
Lee’s coaches and teammates have tried to create a supportive environment. They’ve expressed concern at times with the amount of pressure he’s put on himself to perform up to expectations and establish his value as a major-league player. So they took maximum satisfaction in his first career walk-off hit — even if he was able to dodge Ramos and the cold water this time.
“I guess I didn’t try hard enough,” Adames said with a laugh. “We have a lot of faith in him. We trust him. We know what he’s capable of. He’s been the same guy no matter if he’s doing good or bad. We’re always pulling for him. In that moment today, I feel like nobody has a doubt. He was going to be the hero and he delivered for us and for the city. I mean, you can tell people love him here. He comes through like that, I’m happy for him.”
Lee said the chants from the crowd gave him goosebumps.
“I just want to say thank you to the fans always,” Lee said. “Major League Baseball is so data-oriented. The defensive shifts are amazing. It’s so hard to get a hit here. Sometimes you’ve got to be really lucky. So I was just (trying) to put more quality on the pitches I hit and lay off bad pitches. I’ve been thinking to myself recently to do a lot of nice things that can bring luck into the game.”
The Giants’ three-game sweep was straight out of the “can’t predict ball” playbook. When the series began, the Giants had lost 13 of their previous 15 home games. The Cubs hadn’t been swept in any series of three games or more this season. For the Giants to take all three games required contributions from a roster core that might be resurrecting itself too late to make a playoff push but early enough to restore faith in the outlook for next season.
Rafael Devers hit two home runs and a double in Wednesday night’s victory. Adames, who entered Thursday’s game in a 3-for-40 slump at home, hit a two-run home run in the first inning and a tying, solo shot in the sixth. Adames also continued to make solid contributions at shortstop, ranging far to his right and throwing across his body to take a hit away from Nico Hoerner in the sixth inning. Devers, who is looking better and better at first base after learning the position midseason, picked the throw out of the dirt.
Maybe everyone just needed a little time to adjust to a new environment, whether it’s Lee experiencing his first full season or Adames creating a comfort zone after signing a seven-year, $182 million contract or Devers settling in following the mid-June blockbuster trade with the Boston Red Sox.
“Yeah, it feels like that,” Adames said. “It feels like when we all get together and get comfortable around each other, it’s going to be fun. Yeah, I’m really excited about that. … It’s been a challenging year for me on the offensive side. I haven’t been able to figure out how to keep it consistent. I’m happy it’s coming now.”
Despite the ups and downs, Adames’ season is beginning to resemble his career norms. His home runs were his 23rd and 24th of the season, matching Brandon Crawford (in 2021) and trailing only Rich Aurilia (37 in 2001) for the most by a Giants shortstop in franchise history. Especially with road series at Colorado and Arizona still on the Giants’ schedule, Adames still has a viable shot at breaking a 21-year drought and becoming the first Giants player since Barry Bonds to hit 30 home runs in a season.
“He’s the same every day no matter what,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of Adames. “Winning, losing, playing well or not, it’s the same. It’s one of the reasons we signed him: not only the production and what he does on the field but his enthusiasm. It rubs off.”
Maybe Adames didn’t allow the team’s struggles to dampen his enthusiasm. But that enthusiasm is so much more infectious on a winning team.
“It’s hard to smile when you’re not winning,” Adames said. “It’s been fun, these last two series. The boys are having fun and I’m all in for that.”
Willy Adames has had four two-homer games this season, including two over the past week. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
The Giants’ victory was their 10th in walk-off fashion this season but their first since July 8, when Patrick Bailey beat the Philadelphia Phillies with an inside-the-park home run.
There’s probably too much ground to make up for the Giants to make a playoff push. Even after winning five consecutive games against the Cubs and NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, they are 66-68 and would have to post a 20-win September to give themselves any realistic chance. On an individual basis, though, there are plenty of goals still within reach.
Logan Webb has a chance to accomplish something that no Giants pitcher has done since the World War II era. He completed seven innings while adding to his major league-leading total. He also struck out seven to give him 187 strikeouts this season, which trails only the Phillies’ Zack Wheeler among NL pitchers. With Wheeler undergoing season-ending thoracic outlet surgery, Webb could finish the season as a surprising league leader in strikeouts if he can stay ahead of Paul Skenes and Dylan Cease. That’d put Webb in rarefied air. He’d join Tim Lincecum as the only Giants in the San Francisco era to lead the NL in strikeouts (2008-10). No Giants pitcher has led the NL in innings and strikeouts since Bill Voiselle in 1944.
As much as Webb takes pride in being an innings-eating throwback pitcher, he places far more importance on being a part of a winning club. After the past five games, it’s a lot easier for him and everyone else to envision that possibility next season.
The Giants have hit 22 home runs over a streak of 11 consecutive games with at least one longball, which is their longest since 2021. Maybe that’s not a sustainable power supply, but it’s reassuring to see that this group is capable of it. For a sinkerball pitcher like Webb, it’s probably even more assuring to see Adames making plays in the hole and Devers looking like a potential defensive asset at first base. Adames posted minus-6 outs above average in April. Since then, he’s posted plus-10.
“When you look to the future, that’s nice,” Webb said.
Showing their fans that they can still win with a late flourish in their own ballpark? That’s pretty nice, too.
“I want to say thank you for my teammates for celebrating with me,” said Lee, still wearing the dry jersey that Adames had tried to rip off him. “Getting the win today is more important than anything else.”
(Top photo of Jung Hoo Lee: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)