Since leaving the ground in 2019, former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho is returning to challenge the big leagues.
After retiring from active play, Kang Jung-ho, who currently runs a baseball academy in Los Angeles, United States, recently revealed on his YouTube channel that he would participate in Major League tryouts if over 70% of fans vote in favor.
The voting results showed 92% in favor and 8% against, and Kang Jung-ho has begun to get back in shape. On the 24th, he uploaded a video titled 'Kang Jung-ho Last Dance [Challenge] | MLB tryout' on his YouTube channel.
He posted a video showing scenes of personal training and said, 'So many people voted, and 92% were in favor. I couldn't not challenge myself for the Major Leagues. Even though I am older, I want to show the progress I can make.'
Kang Jung-ho also added, 'I want to show that it’s not too late and demonstrate my best effort regardless of the outcome. It’s really not an easy challenge, but I would be very grateful for the support.'
However, opinions on Kang Jung-ho's attempt to return to the Major Leagues are skeptical. Although he has innate abilities described as 'devilish talent,' it is nearly impossible to overcome the barriers of his age and the long hiatus he has faced. Some view this as a means to increase YouTube views.
Meanwhile, Kang Jung-ho graduated from Gwangju Ilgo and was selected 8th in the 2nd round of the 2006 rookie draft by Hyundai Unicorns. In the KBO, he appeared in a total of 902 games, recording a batting average of .298 (3,070 at-bats, 916 hits), 139 home runs, 545 RBIs, 470 runs, and 51 stolen bases. He joined the 20 home runs-20 stolen bases club in his debut year of 2012. He won the Golden Glove for shortstop in the years 2010, 2012, 2013, and 2014.
Thanks to his performance in 2014, when he recorded a batting average of .356 with 40 home runs, 117 RBIs, and 103 runs in 117 games during his time with the Heroes, Kang Jung-ho signed with the Major League's Pittsburgh.
After hitting 15 home runs in 2015 and 21 home runs in 2016, he stepped up as a central hitter for the Pirates. Having left the ground in 2019, Kang recorded a total of 297 games in the Major Leagues with a batting average of .254, 46 home runs, 144 RBIs, 120 runs, and an OPS of .796.
Despite his outstanding skills, Kang Jung-ho is a felon who has been caught driving under the influence three times. In December 2016, he was sentenced to eight months in prison and two years of probation for hit-and-run after not only driving under the influence in 2009 and 2011.
At that time, he hit a guardrail and fled to a hotel, hiding, and during the investigation, a passenger falsely testified that they were driving. It was an incident that caused a critical blow both legally and ethically. In 2022, his return to Kiwoom Heroes was thwarted by a refusal from the KBO.
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