INCHEON, In his seven years in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), outfielder Lee Jung-hoo never won a championship, losing in the Korean Series twice, in 2019 and 2022, while playing for the Kiwoom Heroes.

Now that he's going to be playing in Major League Baseball (MLB) with the San Francisco Giants, Lee wants to win his first professional title in the world's top baseball competition.

Lee Jung-hoo of the San Francisco Giants speaks with reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Dec. 19, 2023.

Lee returned home Tuesday after signing a six-year, US$113 million contract with the San Francisco Giants. The Giants enjoyed some even-year magic by winning World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. They haven't played in any World Series since then, and have only been to the postseason twice.

The Giants signed Lee hoping he could stabilize their center field situation and provide bat-to-ball skills near the top of the order. Lee wants to do more than that.

"I've never won a championship before, and winning a title is the one thing I most want to accomplish," Lee told reporters gathered at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul. "If I keep doing my best each and every day, then I think good results will follow, so it's not as though I am going to set this specific goal from Day 1. I just want to help the team win."

Lee was one of the KBO's very best players since his Rookie of the Year campaign in 2017. He was voted the league's most valuable player (MVP) in 2022 after leading the league in batting average, hits, RBIs, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

Lee has the highest career batting average in the KBO with .340. He didn't need to mess with his success coming into the 2023 season, but trying to prepare himself for high-velocity pitches that he would face in the majors, Lee tweaked his swing a little bit this year.

Source: Yonhap News Agency