Here’s how SF Giants signee Jung-hoo Lee did when he faced Yoshinobu Yamamoto

There remain a lot of unknowns about how Jung-hoo Lee, the Giants’ new big signing from South Korea, will translate from the Korea Baseball Organization to the Majors.

But if things go according to plan, Giants fans should have reason to be excited. In the limited opportunities that Lee has had against MLB-level competition, he’s fared well — especially against the biggest remaining name in free agency, Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Lee and Yamamoto have only squared off twice, when playing for their national teams. In their most recent matchup at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo (which actually happened in 2021), Lee went 2-for-3 against Yamamoto. In the first inning, Lee roped a double off the right field wall, then after a strikeout in the fourth, Lee laced a single to right in the sixth — the only inning in which the Koreans scored in their 5-2 loss to Japan. Overall in those Olympics, Lee went 7-for-29 with a homer, three doubles and three runs. 

The two have faced each other one other time in international play, at the 2019 Premier12 tournament put on by the World Baseball Softball Confederation. Yamamoto struck Lee out on three pitches, making Lee’s head-to-head batting average .500. During that tournament, Lee reached base more than half the time (.577 on-base percentage) while batting 10-for-26 with five doubles, five runs scored and four RBI.