ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - Kolten Wong did his best to let fans know just how much they meant to him after 10 years in the St. Louis Cardinals organization. He wrote an article and narrated a farewell video to express his thanks.
The story posted Tuesday morning on The Players' Tribune is titled, "Thank you, St. Louis." Wong wrote the piece as he begins a new chapter in his career with the Milwaukee Brewers. He was released by the Cardinals this offseason and signed a two-year deal with the NL Central rival club.
Related
But he had quite a lot to say about Cardinals Nation:
"During the games, you’re second to none. Obviously. Everybody knows that," Wong writes. "But, for me, you know what was even cooler? Everything about this community off the field, and the amazing people here — not because you’re great fans, I’m not even talking about baseball, I’m talking about ... the people. You guys!"
He also mentioned one particular moment that stands out in his Cardinals career. The walk-off home run he hit in Game 2 of the National League Championship Series in 2014:
"I feel like that’s something a whole bunch of us will never forget, right? I was still so young then, still kind of getting my feet wet," Wong writes. "And the previous year my playoff experience was just beyond rough. So to come back up and do something like that for our fans, for you guys....
"Just super special."
Related
The 30-year-old won back-to-back Gold Gloves in his last seasons with St. Louis. His contract option for 2021 wasn't picked up by St. Louis, but the Cardinals had hoped to make a new deal after the pandemic-shorted 2020 season.
The business side of baseball doesn't appear to have ruined any of Wong's appreciation for the city and fans of St. Louis.
"I hope you remember me as someone who never left anything out on the field. Who was always trying to do something special to make you happy," Wong writes. "I may have gotten punched in the mouth a few times over the years, but hopefully you’ll remember me for getting right back up and working twice as hard to be the best player I could be for you all.
© 2020 KMOX (Entercom). All rights reserved