Tokyo 2020 Olympian Woo-chan Cha announced his retirement after 18 years in professional baseball. The Korean Baseball Association (KBO) stated in a press release that Cha called time on his career because "[he was] unable to regain his velocity" after undergoing surgery.
The 36-year-old veteran appeared in four games for Korea at the Tokyo Games. He didn't allow a run over two innings.
His best international performance came with the inaugural WBSC Premier12. Cha appeared in five games out of the bullpen and was instrumental in Korea's triumph. He pitched 2.2 innings in the semifinal against Japan and 1.1 innings in the final against the United States without allowing a run.
Cha also represented his country at the WBSC Premier12 2019 and the World Baseball Classic 2013 and 2017.
Cha has pitched in the KBO league from 2006 until his last appearance in July 2021, combining 112 wins and 1,413 strikeouts. He helped the Samsung Lions win four consecutive Korean Series titles from 2011 to 2015.
