Pirates' Kang smacks two homers in debut
Friday night, the Pirates welcomed infielder Jung Ho Kang back to the lineup following the season-ending leg injury he suffered last September. He suffered a fracture and some ligament damage on a take-out slide by Chris Coghlan at second base.
Kang started at third base and batted sixth in Pittsburgh’s win over the Cardinals on Friday (PIT 4, STL 2). Kang grounded into a double play and popped up on the infield in his first two at-bats of 2016, but, in his third trip to the plate, he whacked a home run. To the action footage:
Opposite field! Kang waited three at-bats before showing off his impressive power Friday. Going the other way as a right-handed hitter in Busch Stadium takes an awful lot of power. That is no cheap home run.
Kang was not done there though. In his fourth trip to the plate, he hit another home run, this one pulled to left field. Here’s the video:
That is quite a return. Kang wasted no time reminding folks what kind of impact he can have. There were some questions about how exactly the Pirates would use him, but those two home runs ensure Kang will be in the lineup regularly going forward. He’s a difference-maker, folks.
Jung Ho Kang hit two home runs in his first game of 2016. (USATSI)
