Kang nets NL Rookie of Month with hot July
Infielder posts .379 batting average with 13 extra-base hits, nine RBIs
Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang was named the National League's Rookie of the Month for July.
The award is the first monthly honor of Kang's brief career and comes after he hit .379 and posted a .443 on-base percentage with a trio of homers and nine RBIs last month.
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no Pirates rookie ever has ever hit for a higher batting average and had as many extra-base hits (13) in one calendar month since Paul Waner in September 1926.
Waner, a Hall of Famer, hit .381 with 14 extra-base hits that month.
Kang, 28, is being honored for his performance throughout July, but he certainly made a statement toward the end of the month.
On July 28 and 29, Kang homered in back-to-back games for the first time in his career, and on the 31st, he tied a career high with three hits, all doubles.