Korean major leaguers continue to thrive on

In baseball, a hit that enables a team to tie a game is sometimes more valuable than a finishing hit depending on the flow of the game. The tying hit by , Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Kang Jung-ho nicknamed "Peace King" on Monday was one of such cases. Notably, because he hit the tying hit in the seventh inning, when the opponent team was strengthening the bullpen, Kang’s team was able to upset the game to win.

Kang started as cleanup hitter and third baseman in a home game against the Milwaukee Brewers on the day. Before starting the game, he also caught a pitch thrown by Hyomin, a member of Korean girl band "T-ARA," at the catcher’s post. He hit the tying hit in the seventh inning when his team narrowed the score gap to 5-6 in the game. Taking the batter’s box with runners at the first and second bases with one out, Kang hit a timely hit, and brought the game to square one. It was Kang’s 58th RBI in this season.

When taking the batter’s box for the second time in the fourth inning of the game, he had a hit before adding a run. It was the 36th time that Kang had two or more hits in a game. However, he also had three strikeouts as well. Kang increased his batting average for this season to 0.290.

Kang has displayed strength in do-or-die situations for his team in this season. He has a batting average of 0.263, two homers and 21 RBIs in situations wherein his team was poised to garner a point, with two strikeouts. He has a batting average of 0.288, four homers and 12 RBIs in situations wherein games were close (with a gap of less than three points in scores in the seventh inning or after) in the final innings of games. He also has a batting average of 0.313, six homers and 23 RBIs in situations wherein his team is tying a game. He has demonstrated his temper as an adventurer in the Major League Baseball as well.

After Kang’s timely hit, Pittsburgh continued to manage a tight race, before Josh Harrison (28) had a finishing hit to secure the team’s 7-6 win, and to lead a three-game winning spree. Pittsburgh concluded its competition with Milwaukee for this season by garnering nine wins and 10 losses.

Meanwhile, Choo Shin-soo had three hits including one homer (his 18th in this season) in a home game against Oakland on the day. Thus, he has taken a step closer to achieving the 20th homer mark for the first time in two years after 2013 and his fourth since his Major League debut. Choo, who got on the base four times including one walk on the day, raised his batting average for this season from 0.255 to 0.259. Texas won 12-4.