KBO's youngest franchise captain Hwang Jae-kyun, who led the team to its first-ever unified championship, retires in a ceremony against Suwon Lotte on the 8th... leaving the beloved field after two decades

*This content was translated by AI.

Hwang Jae-kyun (39), captain of KBO League's youngest franchise who led the team to its first-ever unified championship, is set to leave the beloved field amid everyone's congratulations.

The KT organization will hold a retirement ceremony for Hwang Jae-kyun, who concluded his playing career at the end of last season, during a home game against Lotte Giants at Suwon KT Wiz Park on the 8th.

Hwang began his professional career after being selected in the second round, 24th overall pick of the 2006 KBO Rookie Draft by Hyundai Unicorns. He later played for Heroes and Lotte before stepping onto the Major League Baseball (MLB) stage through the San Francisco Giants in 2016. Returning to Korea in 2018, Hwang signed a four-year, 8.8 billion won free agent contract with KT, forming his first bond with the team.

Since then, playing exclusively for KT, he led the team to five consecutive postseason (PS) appearances from 2021. In 2021, serving as captain, he guided KT to its first regular-season title and Korean Series championship, becoming a key figure in the unified victory.

With only KT, he recorded 1,016 games with a .285 batting average (3,776 at-bats, 1,075 hits), 112 home runs, 527 RBIs, 567 runs scored, and 62 stolen bases, posting an on-base percentage of .349, slugging percentage of .436, and OPS of .785. His all-time KBO career statistics include 2,200 games with a .285 batting average (7,937 at-bats, 2,266 hits), 227 home runs, 1,121 RBIs, 1,172 runs scored, and 235 stolen bases, along with an on-base percentage of .349 and slugging percentage of .436.

The retirement ceremony, held together with his former team Lotte Giants, will be divided into Part 1 and Part 2, themed around Hwang's player entrance song "Europe: The Final Countdown."

During the pre-game Part 1 event, Hwang will hold a signing session for 100 fans at the central Wiz Hall in Wiz Park and express his gratitude. On the field, a retirement commemorative video showcasing Hwang's baseball career will be screened. A gift presentation ceremony prepared by both teams and their player rosters will also take place. On this day, Hwang's family members will each perform the ceremonial first pitch, first hit, and first throw to add special meaning.

The Part 2 event held after the game will include Hwang's family, teammates, former high school teachers, and junior players. A retirement congratulatory video will be shown, and Hwang will personally read his retirement speech. A base-running Haifa Eve event will also be organized to say goodbye to the field he has loved for 20 years. The team roster, his alma mater Kyunggi High School's coaches, baseball club juniors, and fans will line up to celebrate and encourage him, concluding with fireworks as a final tribute.

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*This content was translated by AI.