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Kang Jung-ho hits first big league homer

May 4, 2015
Pittsburgh Pirates' Kang Jung-ho, of South Korea, watches his solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning in a baseball game, Sunday, May 3, 2015, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Kang Jung-ho, of South Korea, watches his solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals in the ninth inning in a baseball game, Sunday, May 3, 2015, at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Bill Boyce)

SEOUL, May 4 (Yonhap) — South Korean infielder Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates belted his first big league home run Sunday in St. Louis.

With the Pirates trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 in the top of the ninth, Kang took closer Trevor Rosenthal over left center field for the game-tying solo shot at Busch Stadium.

It took Kang 32 at-bats to launch his first-ever Major League Baseball (MLB) home run. His long ball sent the game into extra innings.

Kang started at third base and batted seventh for his first start in four days. He went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored, and was replaced by Sean Rodriguez at third in the bottom of the 10th.

Kang raised his batting average from .259 to .281 and now has seven RBIs. He has hit safely in four consecutive starts.

Kang went hitless in his first two at-bats of the game against starter Michael Wacha. Then in his third time up leading off the seventh, Kang hit a single up the middle.

In the ninth, Kang sent Rosenthal’s first pitch curve to tie the game and hand the Cardinals’ closer his first blown save of the season.

Kang, the first South Korean position player to jump from the domestic Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League to the majors, had 40 home runs in 418 at-bats for the Nexen Heroes in 2014.

Despite Kang’s efforts, the Pirates lost the game 3-2 in the bottom of the 14th, as Kolten Wong hit a walk-off solo homer off Radhames Liz.

The Pirates went ahead in the top of the 12th on Pedro Alvarez’s sole shot, but the Cards tied it up in the bottom half of the frame as Peter Bourjos hit an infield single with the bases loaded.

The Cards left the men stranded as Matt Holliday struck out and Matt Adams grounded out. They finally ended the game as Wong left yard in the bottom of the 14th.