KT Wiz infielder Moon Sang-cheol retires after 12 professional seasons
In short
KT Wiz said on 22 October that infielder Moon Sang-cheol (문상철), 35, is retiring after 12 years as a player. He joined KT through its 2014 founding special draft and finished with a .237 average, 49 home runs and 190 RBIs in 609 top-level games. The club plans a retirement ceremony in the 2027 season.
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KT Wiz said on 22 October that infielder Moon Sang-cheol (문상철), 35, is ending his playing career after 12 years. Newsis, Yonhap and Chosun Ilbo, the last carrying copy from OSEN, all reported the club's announcement. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Moon entered professional baseball through KT's founding special draft in 2014. Newsis said he graduated from Korea University and played mainly in the Futures (second-tier) league in his early years. Yonhap said he made his top-level debut in 2015. Chosun Ilbo said he hit 14 home runs in the Futures League in his first year and reached double figures in home runs three years in a row. In 2017, playing for Sangmu, he became the first in the Futures League to reach 30 home runs and 100 RBIs and led the team to the title. Chosun Ilbo added that the following year he again led the Futures southern league in home runs and RBIs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Newsis and Chosun Ilbo said he played more than 100 top-level games in 2023 and helped KT reach the Korean Series. Yonhap put his 2023 line at 112 games, a .260 average, 9 home runs and 46 RBIs. In Game 1 of the series against LG Twins he drove in the winning run and was named MVP. In 2024 he played 125 games with a .256 average, 17 home runs and 58 RBIs, which Yonhap and Newsis called a career-high season. Newsis added 89 hits in 347 at-bats, 50 runs and an OPS of .786. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Yonhap said Moon recorded many walk-off hits in 2023 and 2024. He had three walk-off hits in 2023, and a walk-off home run against Kiwoom Heroes at home on 24 May 2024 was his fourth career walk-off. Yonhap said he decided to retire after playing in only 6 top-level games this season. His career record is 609 games, a .237 average, 49 home runs and 190 RBIs, and Newsis and Chosun Ilbo put his runs scored at 173. [ 1 , 2 ]
Chosun Ilbo said Moon was once known as an "Ahn Woo-jin killer", hitting .308 (4 hits in 13 at-bats) with 1 home run and 2 RBIs against Kiwoom's Ahn Woo-jin, with a slugging percentage of .692. It quoted KT as calling him a "one-club man" whose leading by example and sense of responsibility helped establish the team's culture. [ 3 ]
In a statement released through the club, Moon said it was meaningful to begin and end his professional career with KT and that he would never forget the fans' cheers at Wiz Park. He thanked coaches, fans and especially his family. KT plans to hold a retirement ceremony for him in the 2027 season. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents give no wider consequences beyond the end of a player's career with the club he started with. Yonhap links the decision to his playing in only 6 top-level games this season.
Key facts
- KT announced on 22 October that infielder Moon Sang-cheol, 35, is ending a 12-year playing career and retiring. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Moon entered the pros through KT's 2014 founding special draft. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- His career top-level record is 609 games, a .237 average, 49 home runs and 190 RBIs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- In 2024 he played 125 games with a .256 average, 17 home runs and 58 RBIs, described as a career-high season. [ 1 , 2 ]
- In Game 1 of the 2023 Korean Series against LG Twins he drove in the winning run and was named MVP. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Yonhap reported he played only 6 top-level games this season. [ 2 ]
- KT plans a retirement ceremony for him in the 2027 season. [ 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- KT announced on 22 October that Moon Sang-cheol is retiring after 12 years as a player. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Moon joined KT through the 2014 founding special draft. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- His career top-level record is 609 games, a .237 average, 49 home runs and 190 RBIs. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- He drove in the winning run in Game 1 of the Korean Series against LG Twins in 2023 and was named MVP. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- KT plans to hold his retirement ceremony in the 2027 season. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Why Moon decided to retire. Yonhap says he retired after playing only 6 top-level games this season; the club's announcement and Moon's quoted statement in the other documents give no reason.
- The date of the 2027 retirement ceremony. The documents say only that it is planned for the 2027 season.