Lee Jung-hoo, who was injured during defense in the top of the first inning against Cincinnati on Tuesday, is being helped off the ground. Lee Jung-hoo is wearing a pink undershirt on Mother's Day. Getty Images


Major League Baseball fans are well aware of the pink color of each stadium on the second Sunday of May. This is because the performance is to celebrate Mother's Day.

Players celebrate the day by wearing pink gear for their mothers, their sons and daughters' mothers. Hats and belts, bats and gloves, and even underwear are all different. I think the pink gear, which is the biggest in area, is probably catcher's gear.

Players invite their families to the stadium and have a meaningful time. Former big leaguer Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha Eagles) made an appearance on Mother's Day and home game against the Washington Nationals on May 13, 2019, when he was a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and after winning five games of the season with eight scoreless innings, Park Seung-soon received attention by presenting a bouquet of pink roses to his mother. Park also pitched before the game.

Lee Jung-hoo (26) of the San Francisco Giants played at Mother's Day for the first time since entering the MLB at a home game against the Cincinnati Reds (Oracle Park in California) on Wednesday. He had to return to the game after missing three previous games due to injury on his left foot. Chances are high that Jeong Yeon-hee, wife of Lee Jong-beom (former LG Twins coach) and Lee Jung-hoo's mother, also visited Oracle Park.

Lee Jung-hoo also followed MLB tradition at the game against Cincinnati on the day. He wore a "Hot Pink" undershirt under his uniform to the ground. Since his days in the KBO league, Lee has often expressed his gratitude for his mother's dedication and love. 

Lee Jung-hoo, who must have been more motivated than anyone else, appeared on the ground. He started as the first batter and center fielder, but collided with a fence while trying to catch Cincinnati batter Jaymer Candelario's right-center hit with a jump catch in the top of the first inning with two outs and the bases loaded.

Lee couldn't even stand up and held onto his left shoulder. Finally, he was helped off the field by a trainer. San Francisco Giants manager Bob Melvin said, "I dislocated my left shoulder. I will have an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan. I am not in a good condition."

Lee Jung-hoo also had shoulder surgery in November 2018. In the semi-playoff against the Hanwha Eagles on Oct. 20, he was injured while catching Kim Hoi-sung's ball. There is a lot of concern because he was injured again in the area where the knife was already cut. The rehabilitation period may be longer than expected. It was a nightmare Mother's Day for Lee Jung-hoo and Jeong Yeon-hee.

In the 37 games he played this season, Lee Jung-hoo recorded a batting average of 0.262 with two homers, eight RBIs and 14 runs on base, 0.310 with a slugging percentage of 0.331. The driving that he showed in the KBO league did not come out often, but he adapted smoothly by producing fast balls often from his big league debut season.

Reporter Ahn Hee-soo: anheesoo@edaily.co.kr