BRADENTON, Fla. — Jung Ho Kang, leaning back in a chair, looked around the empty home clubhouse at LECOM Park as several reporters walked in. The large room, which serves as the Pirates' home during spring training, looked more like a storage locker Wednesday afternoon.
Couches, cabinets and office chairs were moved to the opposite side of the room to make room for AT&T SportsNet's equipment. Unused jerseys hung in empty locker stalls, including the one occupied by David Freese this spring. Kang hadn't prepared for a game in the room in more than two years. It was symbolic of what Kang lost and what he hoped to regain.
The Pirates third baseman was unable to re-enter the United States following his third DUI conviction in South Korea, forcing him to miss the entire 2017 season. He didn't obtain a visa until late April and joined the Bradenton Marauders, the Pirates' High-A affiliate, last Friday.
Kang, wearing No. 22 for Bradenton, has received glowing reviews from minor-league coaches and drove in seven runs in his first four games. However, he stressed the importance of remaining focused off the field and wants to make amends with the fans who cheered for him during his two seasons in Pittsburgh.
"Obviously, I’m not touching a drop of alcohol moving forward," Kang said, stoically, through his interpreter, Mark Kim.
Kang, now 31, crashed a BMW through a guard rail in Seoul, South Korea on December 1, 2016 and was later convicted of driving under the influence. He received an eight-month suspended sentence in March 2017 and lost an appeal two months later. Kang said he made the decision to stop drinking following his third DUI since 2009.
Previously, he said, he only consumed alcohol in the offseason to "let the steam out" but never attempted sobriety.
Kang did not disclose either of his first two DUIs to his former team in the Korea Baseball Organization, the Nexen Heroes, or the Pirates — a decision he now calls "ill-informed."
The U.S. State Department ruled Kang permanently ineligible to obtain a work visa after the third DUI, and he remained in South Korea for most of 2017. Kang worked out in Gwangju, his hometown southwest of Seoul, and the Pirates sent him a pitching machine to remain sharp:
Meanwhile, Kang kept tabs on his former team, watching Pirates games in the morning and keeping in touch with former teammates, including Andrew McCutchen and Francisco Cervelli. Last summer, the Pirates approached Kang with a plan for him to play for Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League.
It was an opportunity to face live pitching in a uniquely competitive environment. The experiment didn't go well. He was released after batting .143/.219/.202 with 31 strikeouts in 24 games. Kang struggled to adapt to the culture, including the food and style of baseball played in the country.
He also struggled to hit off-speed pitches. Two weeks later, Neal Huntington told a group of fans at PiratesFest the team did not expect Kang to receive a visa in 2018.
"It would be a lie if I said I was not concerned or worried," Kang said. He remained in the Dominican Republic for a short time following his release and eventually returned to South Korea, where he trained in Gwangju and Seoul. Then, when it appeared there was a chance he could receive a visa, Kang traveled back to the Dominican to intensify his training.
On April 27, moments after the Pirates completed a sweep of the Cardinals at PNC Park, Javad Khazaeli, an immigration lawyer from St. Louis, tweeted out a photo of him and Kang standing in an airport captioned,“When being an immigration attorney is more important than being @cardinals fan. The @pirates are going to be tougher.”
Kang is unsure what changed with his visa status, or how many times he applied. He left the process up to his agent, Alan Nero, and his lawyers. Following the announcement, Huntington expressed pessimism that Kang would be able to contribute to the Pirates anytime soon. Clint Hurdle shared that sentiment, noting Starling Marte's struggles following an 80-game suspension last season.
Even Kang was unsure he could be the same player. "I think it was half excitement and half worries," he said. "Whether I’d be able to perform to the level that I had been before and also whether I’d be given as many opportunities as I did before."
On Jan. 16, 2015, the Pirates signed Kang to a four-year, $11 million contract with a club option for 2019 and paid Nexen a $5 million posting fee for Kang's rights. He batted .287 with 15 home runs, 58 RBIs and .816 OPS in 2015, helping the Pirates win 98 games and finishing third in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Kang was revered in his home country and his adopted city. Trouble surfaced in June 2016 with a sexual-assault allegation investigated by the Chicago police. The victim claimed Kang, whom she met on a dating app, invited her to his room at the team hotel, served her a drink and sexually assaulted her as she drifted in and out of consciousness.
Kang was not charged with a crime. Detectives had follow-up questions for the victim after the initial complaint was filed, but Chicago police could not reach the victim. The Pirates went on to miss the playoffs in 2016 and Kang finished with 21 home runs in 103 games.
He went 0 for 4 with a strikeout in a regular-season ending loss to the Cardinals on Oct. 2. He was arrested for the DUI three months later.
"It was a truly impactful experience, throughout the course of my life probably one of the bigger experiences," Kang said. "Because of how humbling it was and how sorry I felt and continue to feel toward the fans, my family and friends, everyone who always backs me up, I'm always going to do my best to, foremost, become a better person, and then to become the best baseball player I can be."
Kang is following Major League Baseball's joint drug prevention and treatment program, the details of which are unknown. Huntington said previously an inability to follow the terms would result in severe consequences for Kang.
Kang reported to Pirate City shortly after receiving the visa and began playing games in extended spring training. The Pirates, encouraged by his progress after receiving positive reports from staff members, including Gary Green, their minor league infield coordinator, promoted Kang to the Florida State league last week.
He had six hits in his first 13 at-bats for Bradenton, including this grand slam in only his second game back:
Kang has split time between second and third base but he's serving as the Marauders' designated hitter Wednesday night. Huntington said previously Kang will need a full spring training — roughly 45 days — to return to game action, but Kang has shown progress recently, particularly at the plate.
"The work is being done; he seems to be in a pretty good place right now," Clint Hurdle told reporters Tuesday.
It's unknown how long Kang will remain in Bradenton, or if he'll require another stop in the Pirates' minor-league system. He also isn't sure if he'll be booed in his first game back at PNC Park. Kang, though, said he'd deserve the fans' jeers. After all, he said he continued to pursue a work visa in an attempt to right his wrongs.
"The experiences I’ve had with Pittsburgh and its fans have been such an overwhelming experience that I saw it as a motivation for me to fight back and repay my debts to the (fans) in Pittsburgh," he said.