Giants' Lee corrals ball with knees for wild catch

SAN FRANCISCO -- San Francisco Giants center fielder Jung Hoo Lee might have made the catch of the year -- at least.

Tampa Bay's Yandy Díaz drove a pitch to deep right-center, known as Triples Alley at Oracle Park, and Lee made a play that created a buzz Sunday on social media as San Francisco beat the Rays 7-1.

Lee ran to his left and while sliding on his left leg, the baseball bounced out of his glove. The ball deflected to his his left thigh and rolled down to his left calf before it popped up and he pinned it between his knees and snagged it with his glove.

The speedy, 26-year-old South Korean has become a fan favorite in San Francisco since signing a sixth-year deal worth $113 million before the 2024 season.

He's about to be even more popular.

Lee has been perhaps the best player on the middle-of-the-pack Giants this season, playing regularly after his rookie season was shortened to 26 games because of injury. He has bounced back from season-ending surgery on his dislocated left shoulder after being injured crashing into an outfield wall.