During his playing career from 2009 to 2011, Kolten Wong cemented himself as perhaps the greatest hitter in the history of the University of Hawai‘i baseball program. At UH, his No. 14 is the only jersey number retired from a position player.
On Friday, he was back at his old stomping grounds at Les Murakami Stadium for the first time during baseball season. Every other year since he left UH, he was playing professional baseball.
Prior to the University of Hawai‘i's 12-6 loss to UC San Diego, Wong threw out the first pitch as he prepares to get officially inducted to the UH Sports Circle of Honor on Sunday.
Wong took in Friday's festivities with his wife, Alissa, and two sons, Kash and Kruz. Retired ESPN sportscaster Neil Everett was also at the Les on Friday night, introducing Wong to the crowd. The mere fact that Wong was at UH in May and not on a pro ball field on the Mainland was a heavy indication of where his playing career stands.
"I kind of came to the conclusion that I'm probably going to be hanging them up," Wong, 34, said. "It's just one of those things. The game, how it's going. ... I'm a dad. I'm enjoying that, the best big league dad that I can be. So, I'm going to stick to that."
A two-time All-American, Wong slugged 25 home runs while hitting .358 as a 'Bow, raising his batting average each year. He was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 22nd overall selection of the 2011 MLB Draft, making his big league debut in 2013.
In a 10-year major league career, Wong established himself as one of the league's best defenders, winning National League Gold Gloves at second base in 2019 and 2020.
"Playing in the big leagues for me was icing on the cake," Wong, a Kamehameha-Hawai‘i alumnus said. "But coming here, being a kid from Hawai"i, it was always a goal of mine, all this other stuff that I'm getting right now. It's just incredible. I'm just truly honored and humbled by it."
For the first time on Friday, Wong was able to take in a University of Hawai‘i baseball game as an adult fan.
"I haven't had the chance to be here and be a fan. I told my wife I might even sit back and have a beer tonight," Wong said.
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
