This MLB season has come up with a lot of surprises. Be it the high-tension games, the cheering and booing crowd or the bench-clearing incidents, we have seen it all. And now, another surprise awaits: two-time Golden Glove St. Louis Cardinals star finally announcing his retirement. And as expected, fans aren’t happy at all.

“Pretty much right now, I’m done,” Cardinals’ veteran infielder Kolten Wong said, announcing his retirement at the University of Hawaii, as stated by Brian McInnis of Spectrum News. No final celebration. No farewell match. Just while throwing the first pitch during the game between UC San Diego and his alma mater, Wong called it quits.

With Kolten Wong hanging up his cleats, let’s not forget that he has given his best in his career. Wong played in 11 major league seasons, batted at an average of .256 with 86 home runs and 405 RBIs and also scored 511 runs along with 120 stolen bases across the 1189 games he played for the Cardinals. But what made him even more special was his consistency at second base with a 92 wRC+ and his defensive prowess.

Did something go wrong with Wong that might have led to the retirement? 

Well, it cannot be denied that he is past his prime. However, as specified by Brian McInnis, Wong believes the way the game is going now, it doesn’t make much sense to chase 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,” the 34-year-old said, clearing his intentions not to look back at the game and spend time with his family.

So, while the entire baseball world buzzes with Kolten Wong’s retirement, fans aren’t happy, as they cannot believe they are watching their favorite star announce retirement, that too, all of a sudden. Neither of us saw it coming, did we? But guess what? The memories will remain etched for a long, long time.

Cardinals legend bidding adieu to baseball has left fans sad

As the retirement announcement ricocheted through social media, it wasn’t something for the fans to rejoice over; rather, they were left devastated. One of the fans commented, “This is a terrible thing for the sport.” For sure, many of us are going to agree to it. His performance in the majors is not just everything. Wong averaged .358 in his UH career, where he spent his three years, having a .449 OBP and 25 home runs as well. Just before parting ways with the Cardinals, he slashed .206/.243/.464, posting five home runs along with eight doubles, four stolen bases and a triple across the 104 appearances in the postseason plate.

“My favorite Cardinal for a lot of years. Legendary defender and always clutch.” A heartfelt post from a fan who considers Kolten Wong one of the best defenders. Well, you may agree to it, as Wong was the Gold Glove Award finalist at second base and also won the Fielding Bible Award as the top defensive second baseman. As per Fangraphs, he led the second baseman in ultimate zone rating (13.4), with 15.0 defensive runs against average and also 19 defensive runs saved.

Then came more wishes pouring in: “Congratulations on retirement, @KoltenWong! Always one of my favorite Cardinals to watch. I will never forget watching the walk-off in 2018 against the Pirates in person; it was electric!” If you recall the incident, you might remember the Cardinals’ bench getting cleared as Wong’s teammates mobbed him at home plate. He managed to hit a walk-off home run at the bottom of the ninth inning, which led to a 3-2 win against the Pirates at Busch Stadium. It was also the Cardinals’ second consecutive win in the ninth inning in just three days.

However, it seems like the joys of adulthood are gradually fading away with the retirement of players like Wong, whom many of us grew up watching. One X user wrote, “My young adulthood is just vanishing…. I am an old man.” Someone who might have started watching Wong in his childhood and adored him now gets to see him retire. It’s a sad thing to experience. But as we always say, all good things have to come to an end.

Another comment came from a user who called him a “Dodgers legend”. For those unaware, Kolten Wong played in the three postseason games with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. He was signed by the Dodgers on August 9, 2023, and played 20 games until becoming a free agent at the end of the year.

It was a great journey for the legend and we all hope for the best for his future endeavours.