“Thank you for your continued support of ‘Baseball Player Hwang Jae-kyun’.”
Hwang Jae-kyun finally shed tears after taking off his emotional jersey.
KT Wiz uploaded a video titled “Thank you for your continued support of baseball player Hwang Jae-kyun” on the official video channel “Wiz TV” on the 20th. This is the last greeting video of Hwang Jae-kyun who announced his retirement the day before (19th).
Hwang Jae, who was called up by Hyundai Unicorn 24 times in the second and third rounds of 2006, is an infielder who has left a huge footprint in the KBO League. After passing through the Heroes, Lotte Giants, etc., he has been active in the KT uniform from the 2018 season until this year. The total score is 2200 games, with a batting average of 0.285 (7937 effective at-bats, 2266 hits), 227 home runs, 1121 RBI, 235 stolen bases and an OPS (out base rate + slugging rate) of 0.785.
Especially KT’s presence is very strong. In 2021, he also served as the captain and led the KT team to win its first championship. This year, after achieving a batting average of 0.275 (385 effective at-bats, 106 hits), 7 home runs, and 48 RBIs in 112 games this year, he became a free agent (FA) player, but Hwang Jae-kyun made the choice to retire that no one expected. For Hwang Jae-kyun like this, KT plans to hold a retirement ceremony at the beginning of next year’s season.
After announcing his retirement on the 19th, he said through his personal SNS: “At this moment of writing this article, the feelings and tears that cannot be expressed in words will never dry up.” “From 2006 to 2025. In the past 20 years, I have received everyone’s love that is difficult to express in words. I hope that Hwang Jae-kyun can become a player who has no major injuries, dedicates himself to the team, and continues to work hard in all aspects. Thank you again for your continued support and love for us.”
The first is “Hello everyone, I am Hwang Jae-kyun from KT. This is my last greeting to the fans.” Although KT made a good proposal, I have been thinking about retirement for a long time. I began to suffer from the results I was not satisfied with. Even so, I still think that I should finish the game while playing for the first team, so I made this decision. “
He continued, “When I decided to retire, I honestly can’t express it in words, but I was very sad. When I decided to give up after playing baseball for 30 years, I thought, ‘Is this right?’ But to be honest, I didn’t want to retire in disgrace, so I made this decision. For the veteran players who played baseball with KT, it was better to talk directly instead of showing them through reports, so I called them one by one yesterday. Everyone said that they have worked hard until now.”
The game against Suwon Hanwha Eagles on October 3 was a game that showed Hwang Jae-kyun’s true value. At that time, at the end of the 9th inning when KT was trailing 4-6, with 1 out and 1st and 2nd bases occupied, he entered the batter’s box, hit a ground ball from the shortstop, and led the first base slide, earning a safe on-base decision. With the help of Huang Zaijun’s “bluffing” cooperation, KT finally tied the score at 6-6. Unfortunately, the game ended in a 6-6 draw. In the end, KT was not invited to the autumn stage, but Hwang Jae-kyun’s fighting spirit was clearly very dazzling. This is also Hwang Jae-kyun’s last active game.
Hwang Jae-kyun said, “Anyway, the most impressive thing was the last game. It was the last game of my 20-year career, so I left the deepest impression. I wanted to end the game with a home run in the last at-bat. I wanted to end the game with a home run, but I was too greedy and a ground ball came out. I desperately hope that the 2025 season will not end with me. I want to win.”
He also said, “I want to end my baseball career as a player who is persistent and indispensable to the team. So I decided to retire.” “Thank you for your continued support of ‘Baseball Player Hwang Jae-kyun’. In the future, I will also be a fan who cheers for baseball. Thank you.”
[MK体育记者 李汉柱]
