Lee Jung-hoo was adamant about Ohtani: “Don’t compare me to him, he’s no match for me”
“San Francisco’s first offer was $113 million.
When I heard the amount, my legs loosened.”
Now it’s Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants, not the Kiwoom Heroes.
It was literally a ‘return of gold’.
Jung-Hoo Lee is back.
After signing a six-year, $113 million contract with San Francisco, Lee arrived at Incheon International Airport on Sept. 19.
It’s a staggering amount of guaranteed money, worth about $147.8 billion in Korean won. He also included an “opt-out” clause that allows him to become a free agent again after four years.
He got the best deal he could.
After making a name for himself as one of the best hitters in the KBO, Lee will now start his baseball career as San Francisco’s new leadoff man.
Back in Korea, the deal seemed to finally sink in as he stood in front of the media.
“I’m more nervous now than I was at the local press conference,” he said, “I feel honored to play for such a prestigious team with a long history.
I’ve achieved my primary goal of becoming a major leaguer.
Now it will be my secondary goal to go out there and do well.”
When asked why he chose San Francisco and what happened leading up to the signing, Lee said, “Pete Putilla personally came to Korea.
I felt like he wanted me the most.
There were offers from other clubs, but I made the decision quickly, thinking it would be an honor to play for a team like this.”
“The first offer from San Francisco was for $113 million. When I first heard about it, my legs went out from under me
. To be honest, it was a little overwhelming. 먹튀검증
But my agent told me that it was a reward for all the hard work I’ve done and not to feel pressured.
He told me that I should be confident.”
“I was like, ‘This is a major league stadium,'” he says of his first visit to Oracle Park. It was so nice.
It’s one of the most beautiful stadiums, and all I can think of are words like huge and grand,” he says, adding, “It’s wide in right-center field.
I’m not a home run hitter, I’m a middle-of-the-order hitter. It felt like a good fit for me.”