Jung Hoo Lee, Robbie Ray play starring roles in Giants win over As
SAN FRANCISCO — Jung Hoo Lee was on the delivering and receiving end of two of the hardest blows Tuesday night.Ultimately, the one he dealt proved to be more powerful.Lee crushed the longest home run of his career, clearing the fence in Triples Alley, the deepest part of Oracle Park, to get the Giants on the board first in a 3-1 win over the A’s.Then came the inadvertent revenge.After Lee reached base for a third time, drawing a walk in the sixth, he bolted for second base.
When he arrived, he was met by the forearm of second baseman Jeff McNeil, whose momentum attempting to corral the wide throw took him into the path of Lee’s slide.Lee’s initial reaction sent a scare through the sellout crowd of 40,043 that the throw had possibly nailed the portion of his head unprotected by his helmet.It turned out that it was McNeil’s arm that got his face.Manager Tony Vitello, a trainer and Lee’s interpreter rushed from the dugout to second base, where Lee remained motionless for an extended period.
He was, it turned out, just shaken up.It was, apparently, no match for the damage he did on a cutter that caught all of the plate from Aaron Civale with one out in the second.Lee’s fifth homer of the season traveled 414 feet, 40 feet further than his longest homer to date this season.
His career long had previously been 406 feet.The solo shot got the Giants’ bats in business, as Willy Adames followed with a double and came around to score, opening a 2-0 lead, on a line drive from Matt Chapman off the wall in left.Bryce Eldridge hustled, or more like huffed, home to barely beat the throw on a single from Rafael Devers to pad the lead in the seventh after using an ABS challenge to draw a walk.Lee wasn’t the only victim of what proved to be a physical game.Both second basemen were forced to leave early, with Luis Arraez departing after fouling a pitch off his shin and Zack Geloff getting spiked in the hand by Chapman.The Giants began their home stand with a much-ne...