Cleanup hitter Kang Jung-ho posts multi-hit

OPS (On base percentage Plus Slugging percentage) is a measure that illustrate a batter’s capacity rather than batting average. Then, which hitters of the hitting lineup display the highest OPS? The answer to this question is that it is different in Korea and the U.S.” It is the cleanup hitter (0.910) in Korea as of Thursday, but the third hitter’s OPS (0.796) is higher than the cleanup hitter’s (0.765) in the U.S Major League Baseball.

This is the reason Kang Jung-ho (0.716), “Peace King” in the National League in the U.S. Major League, can continue to play the cleanup hitter. The Pittsburgh Pirates deploy Andrew McCutchen (0.896), the top batter in the team, as the third hitter. In addition, as Starling Marte (0.788) was exited due to injury, and Neil Walker (0.749) feels burden about playing fourth hitter, the team granted Kang the cleanup hitter position.

Pittsburgh Manager Clint Huddle said that Kang Jung-ho is a mature hitter who can comfortably carry out his mission in whichever position in the hitting lineup, adding that since he also has skills to generate earned runs, he is most suitable for the cleanup hitter position.

Manager Hurdle proved to be accurate in his prediction at a home game on Thursday. Kang, who played the cleanup hitter and third baseman, in the match against the San Diego Padres, played the first batter at the bottom of the second inning with his team was trailing the opponent 0-2, and transformed an infield hit into to a double, and gave his team the first run. He also had the finishing earned run that sealed the game 5-2 in his team’s favor at the bottom of the eighth inning.

bom@donga.com