I sat outside Yankee Stadium on Sunday for about 20 minutes, watching fans stream through baseball's pearly gates. Many wore jerseys, mostly pinstripes, and mostly legends. That made it all the funnier to watch Giants fans stroll by wearing jerseys of players whose legendary status applies only in a few zip codes.
There went PENCE, 8, followed by CRAWFORD, 35. And most popular of all: LINCECUM, 55.
For a while I hardly noticed a single jersey of an active player. Then I spotted a J.H. LEE, 51. And another. And another. Someone even donned Lee's jersey from Korea.
It became clear then and even more so after he rescued the Giants with two home runs on Sunday: Jung Hoo Lee is having a moment. The Giants are all in for it, and importantly, so are the fans.
Lee gets his own special chant during home games. A section of the bleachers is now home to the Jung Hoo Crew. HOO-LEE-GAN shirts (with peculiar headwear) have already popped up at the ballpark. It's a response we haven't seen since the days of panda hats, giraffe heads, and (gulp) the Melk Men.
The 26-year-old is making the effort worth it. He's batting .352 with a 1.130 OPS. He hardly strikes out. He plays with speed and athleticism the Giants failed to prioritize for years. He's everything you want in a star.
When Aaron Judge struck out looking to cement the Giants' one-run win, I let out a heavy sigh. I looked over to my friend and said: That was intense. He's their Jung Hoo Lee.
š§ ICYMI: Giants Postcards is back. Kerry and I discussed all things Giants, including which player should get his contract ripped up and receive an extension. Listen on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a rating and review, please!
Up next: The Giants head to Philadelphia where itāll be Landon Roupp against Taijuan Walker. First pitch at 3:45 pm.
Best line of postcardsā¦ ā Heās their Jung Hoo Leeā¦ā I am still laughing.