"Wait and see." Manager Lee Kang-cheol's consideration ultimately moved 39-year-old Hwang Jae-kyun to tears... On his retirement day, he entered as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning before taking the field at third base for defense. [Suwon]

*This content was translated by AI.

"Wait and see."

For Lee Kang-cheol (60), the KT Wiz manager, there was a plan in place. Amidst a fierce battle for first place, he returned not only the final at-bat but also the third base position that Hwang Jae-kyun (39), the "Championship Captain," had guarded throughout his career to him. Eventually, Hwang's eyes turned red with emotion.

On the 13th, KT defeated Lotte Giants 5-2 in a regular-season home game at Suwon KT Wiz Park as part of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League.

This day marked the retirement ceremony for Hwang Jae-kyun, who led KT to its first-ever unified championship upon the team's founding in 2021. From before the game began, Weiz Park was packed with fans eager to witness Hwang's final moments, and all 18,700 seats were sold out one hour before kickoff. This marked KT's 22nd sellout home game of the season.

Until just before the game, it was uncertain whether Hwang Jae-kyun would actually play, as KT was engaged in a tight race for first place with second-place Samsung Lions, separated by only one game. Hwang himself prioritized the team. Before the game, he said, "The manager will decide whether I play," adding, "Rather than me playing today, KT is fighting for first place and on a five-game winning streak. I don't want to break that. I just hope the team wins."

However, Manager Lee did not want to let his disciple's final moments pass without special attention. The manager, who reportedly told Hwang Jae-kyun to "do what you want," shared, "He said he'd like to step up when he has some time." He then added meaningfully with a smile, "My style is to use a player if the lead reaches three runs. Didn't I even put Park Kyung-soo in for defense?"

Indeed, the three-run lead materialized. With KT leading 3-2 in the bottom of the 5th inning, Sam Hilliard's two-run home run extended their advantage to 5-2. Then, in the bottom of the 6th with one out, during Kwon Dong-jin's at-bat, Weiz Park erupted as Hwang Jae-kyun's name appeared on the scoreboard.

Hwang Jae-kyun, wearing a helmet, smiled awkwardly and first bowed deeply (90 degrees) toward the KT fans in the first-base section. After greeting those in the third-base section and his teammates, he faced off against Lotte's second-year left-handed pitcher Lee Young-jae. It was his first real at-bat in 345 days.

Hwang Jae-kyun swung hard at a 148 km/h fastball on the first pitch but missed. After taking a ball on the second pitch, he fouled off a third straight pitch to continue the at-bat. However, he swung again at a high outside 150 km/h fastball and struck out on a swing-and-miss.

There were no hits. Yet, the applause from KT fans never really stopped. And Manager Lee's consideration did not end there. In the top of the 7th inning, Hwang Jae-kyun appeared on the field again, wearing an infield glove. Initially warming up near shortstop, he swapped positions with Heo Kyung-min and moved to his symbolic third base position.

Hwang Jae-kyun spent most of his professional career as a third baseman. At KT, he guarded the hot corner for eight seasons from 2018 through last year. Manager Lee recalled before the game, "It feels like I've been able to play baseball without worrying about third base for seven years."

It seemed the manager wanted him to step onto that spot one last time. After Son Dong-hyun threw the first pitch, Hwang Jae-kyun was replaced by Jang Jun-won. This decision by Manager Lee allowed Hwang to officially step onto the field for a long defensive inning without affecting the outcome of the game.

Now it was truly the final moment. Hwang Jae-kyun embraced Heo Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo in turn. His eyes were already red with emotion. After exchanging greetings with teammates including Kim Hyun-su and Han Seung-taek, he walked toward the dugout and bowed once more to the fans.

Hwang Jae-kyun joined Hyundai Unicorns in 2006, played for Heroes and Lotte, and even reached the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants in 2017. After returning to Korea following an FA contract with KT in 2018, he spent his longest eight-season stretch of his 20-year professional career in Suwon.

In 2021, as captain, he led KT to its first-ever regular-season first place and Korean Series championship. In the KBO League, he appeared in a total of 2,200 games, recording 2,266 hits, 227 home runs, 1,121 RBIs, 1,172 runs scored, and 235 stolen bases. His total games played and most hits both rank seventh all-time.

Thus, the 20th-year playing career of "Championship Captain" Hwang Jae-kyun came to a final period in Suwon, where he had stayed the longest, on the third base position he knew best.

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*This content was translated by AI.