At last, the ‘big blow’ fans had been waiting for arrived. Long mired in a slump, Lee Jung-hoo, the ‘Grandson of the Wind’ with the San Francisco Giants, shook off his drought by launching his first home run of the season.

On the 11th at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland, in a 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular-season road game against the Baltimore Orioles, Lee Jung-hoo started as the No. 6 hitter and right fielder. He went 2-for-4 with a home run, 2 RBIs, and 1 run, completing a multi-hit game.

It was his first multi-hit effort in 9 games since a three-hit game against the San Diego Padres on the 1st. His batting average jumped to 0.174. San Francisco, powered by Lee, beat Baltimore 6-3 to run its winning streak to three.

In his first trip to the plate in the top of the second, Lee looked locked in. With one out, he attacked a 96.9 mph (about 155.9㎞) sweeper from Baltimore starter Shane Baz that came up and away, sending it to left for a double. It was his second double of the season. He did not come around to score as the inning stalled.

In his second at-bat with no outs and a runner on second in the top of the fourth, he bounced out routinely to second base. In the top of the fifth with one out and runners on second and third, he battled Baz through seven pitches but went down swinging at a 91.4 mph (about 147.1㎞) cutter up in the zone.

It did not take long for that frustration to turn into cheers. With the Giants leading 4-1 in the top of the seventh and two outs with a runner on second, Lee crushed a two-run homer over the right-field wall off left-handed reliever Nick Rake. It was the long-awaited first home run of his season. Down 0B-2S in the count, he attacked an 82.7 mph (about 133.1㎞) sweeper on the third pitch and sent it over the right-field fence. The drive traveled 361 feet (about 110 m) with an exit velocity of 102.1 mph (about 164.3㎞). His spot did not come up again in the top of the ninth, and the game ended.

Determined to rebound heading into this season, Lee raked in spring training, hitting .455 with 1 home run, 4 RBIs, and a 1.227 OPS (on-base plus slugging), raising expectations. But a brief interruption to join the World Baseball Classic (WBC) during camp seemed to disrupt that rhythm, and it appeared to carry into the season. Before this game, his April batting average was just .083.

On this day, however, he finally broke through, delivering two extra-base hits including his first homer of the year, signaling an end to the prolonged slump. The ‘Wind’ has started to blow again.