KT Wiz starter William Cuevas pitches against the Hanwha Eagles during the clubs’ Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, 140 kilometers south of Seoul, in this file photo from June 3, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The KT Wiz announced Thursday they will have a farewell ceremony for their former staff ace William Cuevas on the weekend, in recognition of the Venezuelan pitcher’s contributions to the club for the past seven years.
The Wiz said the sendoff will be held Sunday before their home game against the Hanwha Eagles at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul.
“He dedicated himself to our club for a long time,” the Wiz said in a statement. “We will show him our proper respect as we send him off.”
The Wiz will play a highlight video of Cuevas’ career with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club on the scoreboard and present him with a gift. Cuevas will then be joined by his former Wiz teammates for photos and have a chance to address Wiz fans one last time.
The Wiz released Cuevas last Friday, as the 34-year-old pitcher had trouble getting out of his seasonlong slump, and replaced him with former major league pitcher Patrick Murphy.
He leaves with a 3-10 record and a 5.40 ERA in 18 starts this year. Over 149 regular-season games here from 2019 to 2025, Cuevas had a 55-45 record with a 3.93 ERA.
Cuevas had his biggest moments in games that mattered the most for his team.
In 2021, Cuevas started the first-place tiebreaker game against the Samsung Lions on two days’ rest and threw seven shutout innings for a 1-0 win. It sent the Wiz straight to the Korean Series as the regular-season champions.
Then in Game 1 of the Korean Series, Cuevas held the Doosan Bears to one run over 7 2/3 innings in the Wiz’s 4-2 win. They went on to sweep the Bears in four games for their first and so far only Korean Series title.
In his eight postseason outings in the KBO, Cuevas went 4-1 with a 2.83 ERA.
Former KT Wiz pitcher William Cuevas (front row, 3rd from R) poses with his ex-teammates after a team dinner in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on July 15, 2025, in this photo provided by the Wiz. (Yonhap)
Cuevas was released after making just two appearances in 2022 due to elbow problems, but instead of leaving South Korea immediately, Cuevas stayed put to help his replacement, Wes Benjamin, adjust to the new league.
After putting his elbow issues behind, Cuevas rejoined the Wiz in June 2023, and went 12-0 with a 2.60 ERA that season.
Cuevas, though, struggled to a 7-12 record and a 4.10 ERA in 2024, tying for the league lead in losses. He experienced more ups and downs in 2025. He was 0-3 with an 8.25 ERA in May, and then went 1-4 with a 3.18 ERA in June.
According to the Wiz, Cuevas attended a team dinner Tuesday during the annual All-Star break and also spent time with Murphy to help him get ready for his first season in the KBO.
A Wiz official said Cuevas has received offers from other foreign clubs.
(Yonhap)
