Former Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang received a one-year suspension from the Korean Baseball Organization on Monday for his three drunken driving arrests.
The 33-year-old Kang also was ordered to complete 300 hours of community service during a hearing on Monday, which he did not attend because he is in the U.S.
Kang was released by the Pirates on Aug. 4 after hitting .169 with 10 home runs and 24 RBIs in 65 games last season. He hit 46 homers and had 144 RBIs in four seasons with the Pirates, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2015 and hitting 21 homers in 2016.
But Kang was arrested after attempting to flee the scene of an accident in December 2016, and missed the 2017 season because he was unable to obtain a work visa.
Kang last played in the KBO in 2014. The Kiwoom (formerly Nexen) Heroes still own his rights, and would have to give Kang permission to sign with another team.
“Over time I came to realize just how important baseball is to me,” Kang said, according to the Yonhap News Agency. “I took putting on a uniform and getting on the field for granted, and I was a fool not to see how precious that was. I know I don’t deserve to be saying this, but I would love one final opportunity to play baseball.”
