Pitcher Jung Woo-ram, with 1,004 appearances, set to retire

"I wasn't able to greet the fans as a player this season, but now I'm retiring. I'm still throwing the ball because there may be a chance to pitch,” Jung Woo-ram (39, Hanwha) said on Tuesday, five days ahead of his retirement ceremony. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has been allowing teams to exceed their roster limit to include players having retirement ceremonies since 2021.

Jung Woo-ram, a renowned left-handed bullpen pitcher representing Korean professional baseball, will hold his retirement ceremony on Sunday at his home stadium in Daejeon, during Hanwha's final game of the season. Jung is the all-time leader in pitching appearances in Korean professional baseball. After graduating from Gyeongnam Commercial High School (now Bugyeong High School), he made his pro debut with SK (now SSG) in 2004 at the age of 19. By the end of last season, he had appeared in a total of 1,004 games. Even when considering other Asian leagues like Japan and Taiwan, he holds the record for the most appearances in a single league. Excluding the 2013 and 2014 seasons, when he served in the military, Jung played 18 seasons in the KBO, appearing in more than 50 games in 15 of those seasons.

However, Jung did not appear in a single game this year. After playing in 52 games last season, he discussed his future with the team and took on the role of a "playing coach" (player and coach). This season, without making any first-team appearances, he has worked as a pitching coach for the reserve team, helping younger players develop. Reflecting on this, Jung said, "I took some time off, thinking, 'Has my condition improved?' I checked many times, but I realized it wouldn't be easy to pitch again." He added, "Around mid-summer, I started preparing myself mentally and approached the players more as 'just a coach.'"

Jung recalled the spread of COVID-19 as the saddest time in his career, saying, "We played in empty stadiums. Without the fans, I realized how much harder it was to perform. Hearing the cheers of the fans in the stadium always brought out my best. I think the thing I'll miss the most is not being able to hear those cheers anymore."