Injury to Pirates’ Kang called ‘very serious’; infielder reportedly headed to surgery

PITTSBURGH Jung Ho Kang sustained a serious knee injury Thursday in the first inning of the Pirates’ 9-6 loss to the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park and he is, according to multiple reports, heading for season-ending surgery.

Jim Bowden of ESPN and DKPittsburghSports.com reported that Kang suffered a fractured tibia and a torn MCL, and that is an injury that could require a long rehabilitation time.

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said after the game that Kang, who had to be helped off the field, was taken to a hospital for an MRI and that’s when the apparent fracture and torn ligament were discovered.

Though neither confirming or denying the exact nature of the injury, a source described Kang’s injury as “very serious,” and he could miss the rest of the season.

Kang was injured in a first-inning collision at second base with Cubs right fielder Chris Coghlan, who slid into him in an attempt to break up a double play.

“It is unfortunate that what would be considered heads-up baseball would cause such a serious injury,” Kang’s agent, Alan Nero of Octagon Baseball, said in a statement on Kang’s behalf. “That said, Coghlan was playing the game the way it should be played. I’m confident he meant me no harm. I appreciate everyone’s support.”

Pirates players said they also didn’t think the play by Coghlan was dirty or that he intentionally meant to harm Kang, but they also said they didn’t get a good chance to see it.

“I think we are taught to try and get middle infielders off their feet so they don’t have the strongest throw,” Pirates second baseman Neil Walker said. “We are taught to go in hard and to get the guy off their feet, and unfortunately this one led to a situation where we have one of our hottest hitters out for probably an extended period of time.”

Walker said players are taught to slide early and keep low. The problem doesn’t occur until the sliding player lifts his leg, he said, and he doesn’t think that was the case, but hadn’t watched the play close enough to know.

“I really don’t think (Coghlan) went in there trying to hurt (Kang),” Walker said. “I kind of asked Chris when he came back, ‘You didn’t go in high did you?’ and he said he didn’t feel like he went in high, so like I said, our goal is to get people off their feet in the middle so there throw is off line or not as strong.”

One player who can relate to Kang’s situation is shortstop Jordy Mercer, who replaced Kang in this game. He went through a similar collision earlier this year with Carlos Gomez of the Milwaukee Brewers.

Mercer was lost for 30 games with an MCL sprain in his left knee and is still in the process of trying to get 100 percent healthy, even though he was activated Aug. 23.

He said it is a tough play for any infielder and an unfortunate play for Kang. But he also believes that those hard slides are a part of the game and as long as they aren’t dirty, they should remain a part of the game.

“I haven’t dissected the play and looked at it,” Mercer said. “But it is unfortunate, just an unfortunate thing, and I know that firsthand because I went through something like that earlier this year. I’ll definitely be on his side and be helping him through it as much as I can.

“It is tough not being able to be out there to help your team, it is not a good feeling.”

Mercer said his knee is “getting better every day,” but he still needs to wear a protective brace and he said the kind of injury he sustained and, by appearances, it looks similar to that of Kang’s takes a lot of time to heal.

Hurdle refused to speculate on the nature of the injury or how long Kang might be out, but he said the strength of the Pirates has been their infield depth and he is confident in the guys who will be asked to fill in.

As for the play itself, he said he didn’t believe it was dirty, but it was one of those plays that will and should be reviewed, though his focus was on the health of Kang and he hopes everything is OK.

“We could possibly lose a player that you like having,” Hurdle said. “We are in a position where we have created depth, we took on injuries with Harrison, we took on injuries with Mercer and we came through it and performed and we do believe we have adequate depth to perform and play well.”

In Kang’s absence, Hurdle said there is a strong possibility Aramis Ramirez would go back to third base exclusively and he and Mercer would man the left side of the infield, but added that there were plenty of other options.

Kang, a rookie in his first professional season after the Pirates signed him out of the Korea Baseball Organization, has been one of the Pirates’ most productive players this season, hitting .287 with a .355 on-base percentage and 15 home runs in 467 plate appearances.

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