Hanwha Eagles left-hander Jung Woo-ram (39) will prepare for his 1005th career appearance with his retirement announcement at the end of this season. Jung Woo-ram is scheduled to retire from the final game of the season against the NC Dinos at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 29th. Hanwha announced on the 15th that Jung Woo-ram will retire. Jung Woo-ram did not have a chance to take the mound as a playing coach this year, but he conveyed to the club that he really wanted to face one batter on the mound on the day of the retirement ceremony.토토사이트
Hanwha manager Kim Kyung-moon wants to protect the only wish of his student who takes off his affectionate uniform. Referring to Jung Woo-ram’s retirement ceremony ahead of the LG Twins match in Jamsil on the 25th, Kim said, “Jung Woo-ram said he really wanted to throw one batter that day, so he will probably throw one batter.”
Jung Woo-ram graduated from Gyeongnam Sang High School and started his professional career in 2004 when he was nominated by SK Wyverns (currently SSG Landers) as the 11th overall pick in the second round. He made a surprise transfer by signing a four-year total of 8.4 billion won with Hanwha ahead of the 2016 season, and signed another four-year, 3.9 billion won contract with Hanwha ahead of the 2020 season, guaranteeing his career until this year.
As his nickname “rubber arm” suggests, Jung is the first and only pitcher to play in 1,000 games in KBO history. Excluding the 2013-2014 season, he played in 1,004 games while playing in the first team for 18 seasons in the pro league until last year. Among the 18 seasons he played in the first team, Jung was recognized as the most consistent and sincere player in the league, as he played in more than 50 games in 15 seasons. Jung left an immortal record of playing in 1,000 games for the first time as a pitcher in the league against Daejeon NC on Oct. 2 last year.
Jung Woo-ram took the mound against the Lotte Giants in Daejeon on October 15 last year, setting a new record of 1,003 appearances in Asia’s history as a single league pitcher. The next day, on the 16th, he took the mound in his 1004th game against Lotte, and so far, this game remains Jung Woo-ram’s last game in the first division.
Although he is a veteran in his late 30s, Jung was in charge of 40 ⅓ innings in 52 games last year. After the last season, however, Jung declared that he would stay as a playing coach this year, the last year of his FA contract, and failed to make the first team stage this year as both a pitching coach and a player in the remaining team. He also put more emphasis on nurturing younger players in the Futures League, and did not play in the Futures League.
Jung Woo-ram pitched 977 ⅓ innings in 1,004 KBO league games, recording 64 wins and 47 losses, 197 saves, 145 holds, and an ERA of 3.18. It could have been a pity that he could not take more personal records this year because he only had three more saves to make 200 and five more holds to 150 holds, but he decided to take off his uniform without regret after judging that he had sufficiently proved his “rubber arm.”
Jung Woo-ram announced his retirement and said through the club, “I’ve been able to stand on the mound for a long time with the help and love of so many people, including Hanwha. I sincerely thank everyone who supported and helped me.”