Apr 12, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee (51) catches a fly ball against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Giants Outfielder Jung Hoo Lee makes 'The Catch of the Decade' against the Rays

Originally posted on San Francisco Giants on SI
By Ryan Boman | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 12:56 PM ET

Amid a season that hasn't had a lot of bright spots, San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee gave everyone a reason to smile during the team's 7-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. His highlight play - while a bit unorthodox - had the world of Major League Baseball talking.

With Tampa Bay Rays Yandy Diaz at the plate, he sent a long fly ball in Lee's direction. While closing in on the ball, the South Korean star was able to get a glove on the blast, but couldn't secure it. As he went to the ground, rolling over on his back, the ball came loose, trickling down his body. Then, Lee closed his legs and trapped the ball between his knees in a show of uncanny concentration.

The play left the crowd amazed, and the Giants' broadcast team in awe of what they had just witnessed. Longtime Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper immediately labeled the catch as a classic.

"I don't care what anybody says,” Kuiper said. “That's the catch of the decade. Not of the year, not of the day, not of the week, not of the homestand... The decade.”

Lee's Crazy Catch Drew Rave Reviews

Naturally, after the game, the media sought out Lee afterthe game to get his thoughts on his circus-style play. The outfielder gave them a full breakdown of how everything went down.

"The wind was pretty heavy and the ball was reaching out a lot, so I went for the slide," Lee said. "I did catch it, but it felt like it was dropping down, going under my body, starting from the chest. It was a funny catch for sure. As soon as I felt the ball dropping down my body, I felt like I had to squeeze, and in the end, I squeezed it with my calves."

Giants manager Bob Melvin had a little different perspective on the catch. His initial thought was that Lee may have gotten injured while executing the exciting play.

"I was worried that he may have hurt something, like his ankle," Melvin said during his postgame remarks. "I wasn’t really sure because he was down for a while. When the replay took a while, our people were talking about it and realized he caught it between his knees.

When summing up Lee's catch, Melvin had one, simple reply:

"Haven’t seen that one before."

This article first appeared on San Francisco Giants on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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