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Pirates’ Kang Jung-ho earns top NL weekly honors

September 13, 2016

SEOUL, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) — Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates has been named the National League Player of the Week for the first time in his career.

The third baseman earned the honors Monday (local time) after batting .522 (12-for-23) with four home runs and 10 RBIs in seven games last week. He enjoyed four multi-hit games in that span, including a two-homer effort against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday. He had three more hits the following day and had another three-hit game against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

The Pirates have lost three straight games but remain in the hunt for the second NL wild card, as they were six games behind the New York Mets prior to Monday’s action.

Kang, who didn’t begin his 2016 season until May while recovering from leg injuries from last fall, also had a brief stint on the disabled list last month with a shoulder injury. He’s batting .267 for the season with 18 homers and 51 RBIs in 84 games.

Kang finished third in the NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 with 15 homers, 58 RBIs and a .287 batting average in 126 games.

In this Associated Press photo, Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds third base after hitting a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in Pittsburgh on Sept. 10, 2016.

In this Associated Press photo, Kang Jung-ho of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds third base after hitting a home run against the Cincinnati Reds in Pittsburgh on Sept. 10, 2016.