Latest news with #KoltenWong
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kolten Wong officially retires in Hawaii as he enters UH Circle of Honor
The University of Hawai'i celebrated its 2025 Circle of Honor class on Sunday during the annual Green and White Celebration, officially inducting five new members, including one of the most iconic names in Rainbow Warrior baseball history. Former UH All-American and 11-year MLB veteran Kolten Wong was among the honorees, using the occasion to officially announce his retirement from professional baseball, capping a career that saw him become a two-time Gold Glove Award winner and one of the most respected athletes to come out of the islands. 'There's no other place to do this,' Wong said at Sunday's UH Sports Circle of Honor ceremony. 'Being here, being back where it all started—where the dream was created, couldn't be a better place. I played the game for these people, lived the game for these people. It's far more than baseball. It's about playing for your family, giving everything you have to get to this point.' Wong, 34, finishes his MLB career with a .256 batting average, 86 home runs, 511 runs scored, 120 stolen bases, and 973 hits, just 27 shy of 1,000. He last played in 2023 with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers, hitting four home runs over 87 games. Drafted in the first round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2011, Wong spent eight seasons in St. Louis (2013–2020), followed by stints with the Milwaukee Brewers (2021–22), Mariners, and Dodgers. He earned Gold Glove honors in back-to-back seasons in 2019 and 2020. During his remarks, Wong emphasized the importance of representing Hawai'i and inspiring the next generation. 'Being able to stay at home and put that 'Hawai'i' on your chest means you're playing not just for yourself, but for your family and the entire state,' he said. 'It doesn't matter where you go—what matters is how hard you work.' Wong and his family are in the process of relocating to O'ahu, where he plans to remain involved in the game through coaching and training the next wave of local talent. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Brewers infielder Kolten Wong retires after 11 big-league seasons
Kolten Wong, best known for his Gold Glove at second base but whose top years with the bat came with the Milwaukee Brewers, officially retired May 19. Wong, who played the final of his 11 big-league seasons in 2023, was a member of the Brewers in 2021 and 2022, posting career-best years on offense while playing second base. The two years with the Brewers marked his two best home run outputs, with 14 in his first year and 15 the next. By OPS+, which measures on-base percentage plus slugging percentage adjusted for factors such as ballpark, they were also the two top performances of Wong's career. Milwaukee Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong (16) circles the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of their game against the New York Mets on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. When Wong signed with Milwaukee before the 2021 season, he did so with a reputation as one of the best defensive second basemen in baseball, having won a pair of Gold Gloves. That didn't quite carry over to the Brewers, where he graded out below average on defense but was still a major factor in Wong amassing 22.9 career Wins Above Replacement. Advertisement The Brewers dealt Wong to the Seattle Mariners for Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro in December 2022. The deal, at face value, flopped for both sides as Wong was designated for assignment after 66 games with a .468 OPS and Winker battled injuries and hit for no power all year. The Brewers, though, did turn Toro into right-hander Chad Patrick in a deal with the Athletics after the 2023 season. Wong, a native of Hawaii, finished with 973 career hits, 512 runs scored, 86 homers, 120 stolen bases and a .719 OPS. He spent his first eight seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he took third in rookie of the year voting in 2014 and received MVP votes in 2019. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Former Brewer, Cardinal Kolten Wong retires after 11 seasons
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong announces retirement from baseball after 11 seasons
Veteran second baseman Kolten Wong is retiring from professional baseball. Wong, who was best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, officially retires from the sports after 11 seasons in MLB. Wong announced his retirement this weekend, telling local reporters in Hawaii that he was hanging up the cleats. The Cardinals and MLB officially announced the news on Monday. The former second baseman threw out the first pitch at a game between University of Hawaii, his alma mater, and UC San Diego on Friday, telling local reporters at the game that he was retiring from the professional game. Wong was then inducted into the university's Sports Circle of Honor on Sunday. "Pretty much right now, I'm done," Wong told reporters at the game, via local Spectrum News. "I've kind of come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up. It's just one of those things where, the game how it's going now, there's no sense of chasing (it). … I'm a dad now, yes, I'm enjoying that. I'm trying to be the best big league dad that I can be. So I'm going to stick to that." Wong was drafted by the Cardinals in 2011, making his major league debut in 2013. The second baseman spent eight seasons with St. Louis, earning Golden Glove honors in 2019 and 2020. Wong then signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, spending two seasons there, and spent time with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. He signed minor league contracts with two teams last season, but was released by both teams.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong announces retirement from baseball after 11 seasons
Veteran second baseman Kolten Wong is retiring from professional baseball. Wong, who was best known for his time with the St. Louis Cardinals, officially retires from the sports after 11 seasons in MLB. Wong announced his retirement this weekend, telling local reporters in Hawaii that he was hanging up the cleats. The Cardinals and MLB officially announced the news on Monday. Kolten Wong has announced his retirement after 11 seasons spent with the Cardinals, Brewers, Mariners and Dodgers. He was a Gold Glove Award winner in 2019 and 2020. — MLB (@MLB) May 19, 2025 The former second baseman threw out the first pitch at a game between University of Hawaii, his alma mater, and UC San Diego on Friday, telling local reporters at the game that he was retiring from the professional game. Wong was then inducted into the university's Sports Circle of Honor on Sunday. "Pretty much right now, I'm done," Wong told reporters at the game, via local Spectrum News. "I've kind of come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up. It's just one of those things where, the game how it's going now, there's no sense of chasing (it). … I'm a dad now, yes, I'm enjoying that. I'm trying to be the best big league dad that I can be. So I'm going to stick to that." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hawaii Baseball (@hawaiibsb) Wong was drafted by the Cardinals in 2011, making his major league debut in 2013. The second baseman spent eight seasons with St. Louis, earning Golden Glove honors in 2019 and 2020. After 11 seasons in the Major Leagues including eight with the Cardinals, two-time Gold Glove winner Kolten Wong has officially announced his on a great career, Kolten! — St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) May 19, 2025 Wong then signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, spending two seasons there, and spent time with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2023. He signed minor league contracts with two teams last season, but was released by both teams.
Reuters
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Former Cardinals 2B Kolten Wong announces retirement
May 19 - Longtime St. Cardinals second baseman and two-time Gold Glover Kolten Wong has officially retired from baseball. The Cardinals paid tribute to their 2011 first-round draft pick in a post to X on Monday. Wong first announced his retirement Friday night when he was inducted by alma mater University of Hawaii into the school's Circle of Honor. "Pretty much right now, I'm done," Wong said. "I've kind of come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up. It's just one of those things where, the game how it's going now, there's no sense of chasing (it). ... I'm a dad now, yes, I'm enjoying that. I'm trying to be the best big league dad that I can be. So I'm going to stick to that." Wong, 34, finishes with a .256 average and winds up 27 hits shy of 1,000 over an 11-year career in the majors. He hit 86 home runs, scored 511 runs and stole 120 bases. He earned Gold Glove honors in 2019 and 2020. Wong last played in 2023, batting .183 with four homers in 87 games with the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers. Wong played eight years with the Cardinals (2013-20). He also played two seasons in Milwaukee from 2021-22. --Field Level Media
