Pittsburgh Pirates rookie infielder Jung Ho Kang went down with a nasty leg injury following a takeout slide from Chicago Cubs outfielder Chris Coghlan on Thursday, and the team's worst fears were confirmed hours after a 9-6 loss.
According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, Kang is done for the year after suffering a torn left MCL and fractured tibia that will require surgery.
Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette passed along a statement from Kang, via his agent, after the diagnosis was made official:
"There was nothing out of the ordinary about the play or Coghlan's slide," Yahoo Sports' Kyle Ringo wrote. "Similar plays happen in games every day around the major leagues because baserunners are taught to slide into the infielder, trying to disrupt a throw."
ESPN.com's Jesse Rogers provided an overview of Coghlan's thought process as the play unfolded:
"I hate that he's hurt," Coghlan said, per CSNChicago.com's Patrick Mooney. "He's a great player and you never want to injury anybody."
Pirates star Andrew McCutchen was also quick to express sympathy for his injured teammate:
Prior to being ruled out for the rest of the year, Kang was piecing together a stellar debut season with the Pirates. Not only was he batting .287 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI, but Kang offered the Pirates positional versatility around the infield.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, Kang logged 535.1 innings at third base and 425.1 innings at shortstop. He also notched 4.1 wins above replacement, which ranked third among all Pirates players behind Starling Marte and McCutchen at the time of the injury.
Although the Pirates own a two-game lead over the Chicago Cubs for the NL's top wild-card spot and a 100 percent chance of qualifying for the postseason, per FanGraphs, Kang's absence could loom large as Pittsburgh attempts to make its first National League Championship Series appearance since 1992.
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