Hwang Jae-gyun enters as a pinch hitter and plays third base, bidding a perfect farewell to the 'Championship Captain' of KT! Defeating Lotte for their sixth consecutive victory and leading the pack [Suwon On-the-Ground Review]

*This content was translated by AI.

KT Wiz capped off the final day of player 'Championship Captain' Hwang Jae-gyun (39) with a victory. Hwang also stepped into the batter's box for the first time in 345 days and stood on third base, the position he was most familiar with, sharing the true final chapter of his 20-year playing career with fans.

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. Riding a powerful six-game winning streak, KT maintained sole first place with a record of 75 wins, 3 draws, and 46 losses. They extended their lead over second-place Samsung Lions, who also lost on the same day, to two games. Lotte remained in ninth place with a record of 53 wins, 2 draws, and 69 losses.

The true protagonist at Wiz Park that day was someone else. A retirement ceremony for Hwang Jae-gyun, who captained KT to their first-ever unified championship upon the team's founding in 2021, was held. Long before the game began, crowds of fans eager to witness Hwang's final appearance filled the area around Wiz Park to capacity. Just one hour before kickoff, all 18,700 seats were sold out. This marked KT's 22nd sellout home game of the season.

The highlight was undoubtedly Hwang Jae-gyun's final appearance. Before the game, KT manager Lee Kang-cheol spoke meaningfully about whether to use Hwang: "My style is to bring in a player even if we have a three-run lead. Didn't I send Park Kyung-soo out for defense?" He added, "Just wait and see."

As soon as the three-run lead was established, the manager acted. In the bottom of the 6th inning with one out and KT leading 5-2, Hwang Jae-gyun appeared as a pinch hitter for Kwon Dong-jin. Smiling awkwardly, Hwang stepped onto the field and first bowed deeply at the waist toward home fans on the first-base side. After greeting those on the third-base side and his teammates, he faced Lotte's second-year left-handed pitcher Lee Young-jae.

Hwang Jae-gyun swung hard at the first pitch, clocked at 148 km/h, but missed completely. He took a ball on the second pitch and fouled off a fastball on the third. However, on the fourth pitch, an outside high fastball reaching 150 km/h, his bat sliced through empty air again, resulting in a swing-and-miss strikeout.

Regardless of the outcome, thunderous applause erupted from the stands. That was not the end. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Hwang Jae-gyun reappeared on the field wearing an infielder's glove. After exchanging balls with teammates near shortstop, he swapped positions with Heo Kyung-min and moved to third base, his signature position. His final defensive appearance concluded after Son Dong-hyun threw the first pitch and was replaced by Jang Jun-won.

This was manager Lee's consideration to allow Hwang to stand one last time at the position he guarded for the longest during his playing career, while minimizing any impact on the game's outcome. As Hwang embraced Heo Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo, his eyes began to redden. After exchanging greetings one by one with teammates including Kim Hyun-soo and Han Seung-taek, he bowed once more to the fans before heading back to the dugout.

KT's seniors and juniors gifted Hwang Jae-gyun a victory in return. Starting pitcher So Hyoung-jun endured six innings, throwing 108 pitches while allowing seven hits, one walk, striking out seven batters, and surrendering only two earned runs to secure his eighth win of the season (three losses). He fulfilled his role in his final appearance before joining the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games representative team. Following him, Son Dong-hyun (two-thirds of an inning), Sugimoto Kouki (one and one-third innings), and Park Young-hyun (one inning) closed out the remaining three innings without allowing a run. Park Young-hyun recorded his 27th save of the season.

In the lineup, Kim Min-hyuk led the offense with four at-bats, three hits, and three runs scored. Choi Won-jun recorded two hits and one run in four at-bats; An Hyeon-min added two hits and two RBIs in four at-bats; Sam Hilliard contributed one hit (one home run), two RBIs, and one run in four at-bats; and Kim Sang-soo collected two hits in four at-bats.

In contrast, Lotte's starter Na Gyun-an struggled over five innings, allowing eleven hits (including one home run), walking no batters, striking out five, and surrendering five earned runs. Despite recording ten hits—more than KT—their lineup managed only two runs, failing to halt their losing streak.

KT fielded a starting lineup consisting of Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Min-hyuk (designated hitter), An Hyeon-min (right fielder), Sam Hilliard (left fielder), Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman), Kim Sang-soo (second baseman), Heo Kyung-min (third baseman), Jo Dae-hyun (catcher), and Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). Starting pitcher was So Hyoung-jun.

Lotte countered with a lineup featuring Hwang Seong-bin (center fielder), Victor Reyes (left fielder), Go Seung-min (second baseman), Han Dong-hee (third baseman), Jeon Min-jae (shortstop), Jeon Jun-woo (designated hitter), Na Seung-yeop (first baseman), Jang Du-seong (right fielder), and Park Geon-woo (catcher). Na Gyun-an took the mound as their starting pitcher.

KT attacked Na Gyun-an from the start. In the bottom of the 1st inning with one out, Kim Min-hyuk opened the scoring with a double down the left-field line, and An Hyeon-min followed with a sacrifice single to left field to score the first run. In the bottom of the 3rd, they seized another opportunity through consecutive hits by Choi Won-jun and Kim Min-hyuk. An Hyeon-min, whose momentum had been interrupted earlier by a failed steal of second base, redeemed himself with a one-RBI double down the left-field line. With runners on base, Na Gyun-an's wild pitch allowed third baseman Kim Min-hyuk to score, extending the lead to 3-0.

Lotte did not back down immediately. In the top of the 5th inning, Na Seung-yeop reached base on a walk, and Hwang Seong-bin followed with a massive triple to the center-field wall, cutting the deficit by one run. Reyes then singled up the middle, allowing Hwang Seong-bin to score, narrowing the gap to 3-2.

But KT had Hilliard. In the bottom of the 5th inning with one out and runners on first and second after Kim Min-hyuk reached base with a hit, Hilliard did not miss Na Gyun-an's first-pitch cutter. He pulled the ball powerfully, sending it over the right-field fence for a massive two-run home run traveling 130 meters. The score instantly jumped to 5-2.

And that three-run lead made possible Hwang Jae-gyun's final appearance, which manager Lee Kang-cheol had hinted at before the game. Hilliard's home run gifted Hwang his final at-bat and his final time on third base, while KT held onto that lead until the end. On the final day of the Championship Captain, KT secured their sixth consecutive victory, maintained sole first place, and ensured Hwang's final appearance, creating the most perfect farewell before a full house of spectators.

After the game, manager Lee Kang-cheol stated, "Starting pitcher So Hyoung-jun delivered a performance befitting his name, laying the foundation for our victory. The relief pitchers also fulfilled their roles perfectly. In the lineup, An Hyeon-min set the tone early with an RBI single and other early runs. Hilliard's home run then solidified our momentum. I also want to praise Heo Kyung-min and Kim Sang-soo for their solid defense."

He continued, "The players worked hard this past week, and I thank the fans who cheered us on with full houses on two consecutive days. I congratulate Hwang Jae-gyun on his retirement. During our time together, we shared many good memories, including winning the Korean Series. As a manager, he was an excellent player I wanted to work alongside. He has worked hard for a long time, and I want to thank him. I will also support his second life ahead."

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*This content was translated by AI.