Taiwanese rookie Hao-Yu Lee delivered one of the few bright spots for the Detroit Tigers on Monday, blasting a towering 438-foot solo home run in an otherwise brutal 11-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins.
The 23-year-old infielder launched a 94.5 mph fastball from Twins starter Taj Bradley deep into center field in the sixth inning, recording an exit velocity of 109.6 mph. MLB’s tracking data measured the blast at 438 feet.
Despite the Tigers’ heavy defeat, the home run was another major milestone in Lee’s breakthrough rookie season.
LEE NOW HAS EIGHT HOME RUNS
The blast was Lee’s eighth home run of the 2026 MLB season, putting him just one homer behind the Taiwanese single-season record.
That record belongs to Yu Chang, who hit nine home runs for Cleveland in 2021. Lee had already surpassed Chang’s single-season hits record earlier this season, making the home-run chase another potential piece of Taiwanese baseball history.
Lee entered the game having already established himself as one of Taiwan’s most productive MLB hitters this season. His latest homer leaves him within striking distance of another record with roughly a month remaining in the regular season.
A ROUGH NIGHT FOR DETROIT
While Lee supplied Detroit’s only run, the Tigers were overwhelmed by Minnesota.
Ryan Jeffers hit two home runs and drove in four runs, while Walker Jenkins hit the first home run of his MLB career and Kody Clemens also went deep.
Minnesota finished with four homers and cruised to an 11-1 victory. Taj Bradley earned his 10th win after allowing one run on four hits while striking out nine over seven innings.
For Detroit, the defeat marked the team’s 10th loss in its previous 12 games, adding to a difficult stretch as the regular season enters its final phase.
FROM TAIWAN TO THE MLB RECORD BOOKS
Lee’s rise has been particularly significant for Taiwanese baseball.
He made his MLB debut with Detroit in April after working his way through the Tigers’ minor-league system. Before joining Detroit, he had originally signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an international free agent in 2021 and was traded to the Tigers organization in 2023.
In August, Lee broke Yu Chang’s single-season record for hits by a Taiwan-born MLB player, surpassing Chang’s previous mark of 54 hits. MLB noted that Lee’s development has already put him in position to challenge several of Chang’s other Taiwanese records.
He is now one home run away from tying Chang’s single-season mark.
ONE HOMER AWAY FROM HISTORY
For Lee, the numbers tell only part of the story.
His latest blast shows the power that has made him increasingly important to Detroit’s lineup, while his earlier record-breaking hit total demonstrates how quickly he has adapted to Major League pitching.
If he hits two more home runs, Lee would establish a new single-season home-run record for a Taiwan-born MLB player.
And with the regular season entering its final weeks, the race for history is officially on.
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