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Kang Jung-ho hits 11th and 12th home run against Giants

August 22, 2015
Giants Pirates Baseball

Pittsburgh Pirates’ Starling Marte, right, is congratulated by teammate Kang Jung-ho after hitting a ninth-inning walkoff home run to defeat the San Francisco Giants 3-2 in a baseball game, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Fred Vuich)

Kang Jung-ho hit his 11th and 12th homers as the Pittsburgh Pirates improved to 18-4 against the NL West this season.

The Pirates (73-48) only managed to get four hits, but three of them were solo home runs as they outlasted the Giants 3-2 at home. The Giants fell to 66-57.

Kang’s first home run came against Giants’ newly acquired starter Mike Leake (9-6, 3.44) in the fifth inning, and it traveled 435 feet to tie the game at 1-1. Kang then put the Pirates ahead 2-1 in the seventh inning as he hit a 426-footer against hard-throwing reliever Hunter Strickland (2-3, 2.13).

Pirates’ closer Mark Melancon (3-1) needed just six pitches to get through the top of the ninth to set up Starling Marte’s game-winning home run in the ninth inning. Pittsburgh’s bullpen has won 18 straight decisions, the longest streak in the majors since 1909.