Kolten Wong Hangs Up His Cleats: The Second Baseman Says Goodbye to Baseball
St. Louis Cardinals second baseman and two-time Gold Glove winner, Kolten Wong, has announced his official retirement from baseball.
The Cardinals paid tribute to their 2011 draft first-round pick via a post on X on Monday.
Wong communicated his decision on Friday night during his induction into the University of Hawaii’s Circle of Honor, his alma mater.
“Pretty much right now, I’m done,” Wong said. “I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably going to hang up the cleats. It’s one of those things where, the way the game is going now, it doesn’t make sense to chase it… I’m a dad now, yeah, I’m enjoying that. I’m trying to be the best Major League dad I can be. So I’m going to stick with that.”
Kolten Wong
Wong, 34, ends his career with a .256 average and 27 hits short of reaching 1,000 in his 11 seasons in the majors. He hit 86 home runs, scored 511 runs, and stole 120 bases. He was awarded the Gold Glove in 2019 and 2020.
His last game was in 2023, where he batted .183 with four home runs in 87 games with the Seattle Mariners and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wong played eight years with the Cardinals (2013-20). He also spent two seasons in Milwaukee from 2021 to 2022.
