Ever since Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was briefly detained at Los Angeles International Airport, the baseball world has been buzzing. The incident quickly became part of the larger conversation around ICE in LA, with fans online jumping to conclusions and speculating about political motives.

Reportedly, Lee had just returned from South Korea and was stopped because of missing paperwork. Even his agent, Scott Boras, added fuel to the chatter when he said they were “working politically and with immigration and the Giants to get verifications.” However, once rumors had spiraled, Lee eventually stepped in himself to clear the air. He explained what actually happened at LAX.

“Jung Hoo Lee says he was missing some paperwork when he arrived at LAX. He also mentioned he had everything he usually does. He was at the airport about four hours before everything was resolved,” MLB insider Susan Slusser shared via X.

Well, Jung Hoo Lee was briefly detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at LAX on Wednesday after arriving from South Korea, reportedly due to missing travel paperwork. The 27-year-old, born in Japan and of South Korean descent, later said the delay lasted more than 4 hours before he was finally cleared to enter the country!

Expectedly, it took no time for the Giants to jump in to help sort things out. They worked with several authorities, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi’s office. Lee didn’t go into detail about what documents were missing, brushing it off as “just general paperwork to get into the country, nothing major.” He also made it clear that the situation had nothing to do with the U.S. political climate.

In the end, it turned out to be a routine paperwork snag, but nothing out of the ordinary. The system did what it was supposed to do, patience wore thin for a bit, and then everything moved on. Lee was cleared, travel plans stayed intact, and he was right back to baseball life.

Well, it’s a relief for the Giants, too, to have their star outfielder back just ahead of spring training. If you remember, Lee signed with San Francisco before the 2024 season. And his six-year, $113 million deal made him the highest-paid Korean-born position player in MLB history. So, all ends well for the Giants for now.

WBC is brewing for Jung Hoo Lee

With the brief LAX delay now behind him, Lee has his focus on something far bigger: the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Notably, he’s already confirmed he’ll suit up for Korea in March, marking his first WBC as a major leaguer. And there’s really no debate about his role as Lee is the obvious choice to patrol center field for Team Korea.

Korea is hoping to finally get out of the opening round for the first time since falling to Japan in the 2009 final, after early exits in 2013, 2017, and 2023. And guess what, if they can make it through the first stage, things could get very interesting. We could expect a possible semifinal matchup against the powerhouse United States.

That could even set up a fun showdown between Lee and his own Giants teammate, ace Logan Webb!

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So, for fans, the WBC will be more than just international baseball. It’ll be a sneak preview of what Lee might bring to the Giants when the MLB season rolls around.