Father of injured Giants rookie Lee Jung-hoo reports successful shoulder surgery for son

Korean baseball legend Lee Jong-beom speaks at a function organized by the Korean community in the San Francisco Bay Area at the Korean Community Center in San Francisco, June 6. Yonhap

Lee Jong-beom, the Korean baseball legend and father of injured San Francisco Giants rookie Lee Jung-hoo, said Thursday his son had a successful operation on his left shoulder and is resting at home.

"I've heard the surgery went well. He's been resting at his home here, and he's icing his shoulder," the senior Lee told reporters after attending an event for the Korean community in the San Francisco Bay Area. "I understand he will return to Los Angeles next Thursday to get his shoulder checked."

Lee Jung-hoo, who signed with the Giants in December after seven successful seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder after crashing into the outfield wall at Oracle Park in San Francisco during a game on May 12. He underwent his season-ending surgery Tuesday.

Lee Jong-beom, widely considered one of the greatest players in KBO history, understands all too well what his son must be going through. The father took his talent to Japan in 1998 but suffered a broken elbow that same summer after getting hit by an errant pitch.

"When athletes get injured, there's nothing you can do to comfort them," he said. "I am sure it's tougher on him than anyone else. He came here harboring big dreams and then he got hurt."

Looking back on the fateful play in the outfield, with Jung-hoo making a desperate attempt to catch the ball at the wall, Jong-beom said his son "tried to do too much."

"He was coming back after missing three days (with a foot injury), and I think he really wanted to play well," Lee said. "But it was not a ball that he could catch. I told him he shouldn't force the issue, and he should try to avoid injury. And then the very next day, he got hurt."

The senior Lee started out as a shortstop but spent his later years as an outfielder. He said Jung-hoo should be able to learn from this experience.

"Outfielders must know the structure of fences, direction of the wind and even conditions of the grass," he said. "This season is over for him, and hopefully, he will have a better season next year without getting hurt. I will try to help him in that regard."

The Giants have said Lee will be out for about six months, which ruled him out for the rest of 2024 but should have him ready for spring training in 2025.

The Giants have planned "Korean Heritage Night" for June 26 at Oracle Park against the Chicago Cubs and will give away T-shirts bearing Lee Jung-hoo's name in Korean on the back. His father is scheduled to throw out the ceremonial first pitch for that game. (Yonhap)

San Francisco Giants' Lee Jung-hoo, center, is escorted to the locker room by a trainer and his translator after an injury in the first inning of a game against the Cincinnati Reds in San Francisco, May 12. AP-Yonhap