Last December, Jung Ho Kang crashed a BMW into a guard rail and fled the scene. He reportedly had a blood alcohol level at 0.084 percent, which was over South Korea’s legal limit of 0.05 percent. It was his third drunk driving offense in Korea and led to an eight month suspended sentence. It also led to him being denied a visa to come to the United States to play baseball.
The visa process is still ongoing but the Pirates seem to be moving on. Yesterday, Pirates GM Neal Huntington said you can “pretty much eliminate the thought” of Kang returning this season. Huntington further acknowledged that Kang’s career with the Pirates may be over.
Kang, 30, hit .273/.355/.483 with 36 home runs and 120 RBI in two seasons in Pittsburgh. That’s good, but the DUI offenses and an investigation into an alleged sexual assault in Chicago in 2016 have cast a cloud over his career. It would be understandable if the Pirates chose to wash their hands of him.
