“Jung. Hoo. Lee.” “Jung. Hoo. Lee.” “Jung. Hoo. Lee.”
That’s the chant. That’s all that’s needed. Only the name. With the accompanying drum beat.
Everyone at Oracle Park gets it and feels the connection with the Giants’ dynamic center fielder from South Korea, who has impressed at the plate and in the field, a key reason the Giants got off to a strong start this season, Tuesday night’s 1-0 loss to the Reds notwithstanding.
After missing most of last season with a shoulder injury, caused when he crashed into the outfield wall while pursuing a ball at full speed, Lee is healthy and flourishing and the center of attention, not just in the middle of the outfield grass but throughout the stands.
“I can feel that the love from the fans is amazing right now,” Lee said through interpreter Justin Han.
Whether it’s the “Jung. Hoo. Lee” chants or the many “J.H. Lee” jerseys or the fan clubs making themselves noticed, Lee is embracing life at 24 Willie Mays Plaza and relishing that he’s appreciated as an all-around player and must-see entertainer.
Lee, 26, who signed a six-year, $113 million contract before last season, is hitting .300 with six doubles, tied for the league lead, and a team-high 10 runs. Plus, he’s playing spectacular defense, chasing down balls in the gaps, racing to the wall for over-the-head grabs, and making sliding catches almost nightly.
It didn’t take fans long to climb aboard the Jung Hoo bandwagon. His No. 51 is the top-selling Giants jersey this season — significant considering the presence of Logan Webb, Matt Chapman, Heliot Ramos, and others whose jerseys are common sights in the stands.
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In fact, even though Lee was limited to 37 games last season and didn’t play past May 12, his jersey was tops among Giants players last year, too, according to the team’s chief marketing officer, Rachel Heit, who said that doesn’t count all the Korean-language jerseys that have been sold.
A bump in Lee jerseys is expected now that the Giants debuted their City Connect uniforms Tuesday. Naturally, Lee’s new jersey is a hot item at the team’s Dugout Stores.
Further demonstrating Lee’s popularity: A video shot when he took teammates Mike Yastrzemski and Luis Matos to a Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Korean barbecue restaurant near the end of spring training has generated 115,000 views on the team’s YouTube channel.
The video featured three outfielders of various ages and cultures speaking different languages, but it worked magnificently. Lee said Yastrzemski “has always taken care of me the best, like a big brother, and Matos, he’s like a little brother to me. We’re super close. That’s why I really wanted to go out with both of them.”
Lee’s first homer as a Giant, coming in his third game last season, got more than 1 million views on the YouTube channel, a segment of which is called “Everything Jung Hoo Lee.” Heit said roughly a third of Lee-related views come from South Korea.
“When Jung Hoo joined the team at the beginning of last year, he immediately became a fan favorite,” Heit said. “It’s pretty remarkable when you think of the season he had with the injury and also the language barrier, but from Day 1, the San Francisco fans have rallied around him and supported him.”
The support has reached a higher level this season. The Giants created a Lee rooting section in the center-field bleachers called the Jung Hoo Crew, set up for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday home games. It’s in section 142, the closest seats to the center fielder.
Another fan group debuted more organically Monday night when the so-called Hoo Lee Gans – get it? – flocked to the upper deck beyond the third-base line, section 325. The group bought 51 tickets (representing Lee’s number), outfitted themselves in homemade T-shirts and fire wigs, and performed a unique cheer.
“I play center field in a rec baseball league, and when I see someone play with joy and spirit, I latch on to that and see it 100% in Jung Hoo Lee,” said Kyle Smeallie, the lead Hoo Lee Gans organizer. “He brings lightness and fun to the game, and that’s what this group wants to bring to San Francisco.”
Smeallie, policy director for the San Francisco Community Land Trust, works to create affordable housing for low-income residents, guided by the vision of anti-displacement and racial justice. He had been hoping to organize a group to watch Lee last season, but the season-ending injury wiped out those plans.
Smeallie said many in the group are community organizers, volunteers, and activists looking to make the city a better place, and embracing the Jung Hoo phenomenon is right in their wheelhouse. It likely won’t be a one-off. Smeallie said he received 20 messages Tuesday from “absolute strangers” who want to join in and would be open to partnering with another group or even the Giants.
“The interest is there,” Smeallie said. “I would say if it’s 500 people or the same 51 people, we will be out there again.”
Lee’s teammates are enjoying the show, too. “He’s only scratching the surface with his abilities,” Webb said. “It’s fun for all of us to watch, because it’s a pleasure to see him keep getting better.”
Webb wants to learn the fight song that accompanied Lee in Korea. “When I do, I’ll sing it,” Webb said. As Lee explains, “It’s not a cultural thing you have here in the States. It’s more of a KBO thing.”
Like most of his teammates Tuesday, Lee did little against Reds starter Nick Lodolo and two relievers. The Giants gave up just three runs the past two nights but were shut out for the second game in a row and collected just four hits each game.
Meantime, Lee admits he’s still in an adjustment period.
“Offensively and defensively, I’m still getting used to Oracle Park, even though it’s the home stadium,” he said. “I didn’t get to play a lot last season, so I’m still at that progression where I’m getting used to it.”
Fans already are used to Lee, and they’re liking what they’re seeing.