Once upon a time …
… there were fans at professional sporting events around the world, and they weren’t even socially distanced.
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Posts tagged sajik baseball stadium
Sidearm pitcher Sung-bae Kim of the Lotte Giants
Sung-bae Kim, submarine pitcher
Kim had a good year last year for the Giants (of Busan, South Korea) with an ERA of 3.05 and 31 saves. He also struck out nearly three batters for each one that he walked. Korea is a hitter’s league so these stats are better than they may appear compared to MLB or Japan.
Look closely at the crowd. Late in the game nearly everyone pulled out an orange plastic bag, blew it up, and put it on their heads. I have no idea why. I never saw this happen in Gwangju at the Tigers games except the one time they were playing the Giants in which case a few of the visiting fans did the same thing.
MLB begins in just two weeks
I’m not sure when the Korean season begins, but my Kia Tigers will be moving in to their new Champions Field. Today’s photo isn’t from Gwangju though. This is the home stadium of the Lotte Giants in Busan. One of the Giants hit this ball off the wall.
Chris Seddon of the SK Wyverns
Chris Seddon
I mentioned previously that all of the foreign players (limit 2 per team) in Korea are pitchers. I think there was at least one foreign pitcher who played in every one of the half dozen games I went to. Chris Seddon was one of them, pitching against the Lotte Giants. Chris played for the Marlins, Mariners, and Indians in the bigs before landing in Korea.
Notice the chewed up infield in the above photo. This despite the fact that Busan is supposed to have the best stadium in Korea.
Sajik Baseball Stadium (사직야구장)
Sajik Baseball Stadium – Busan, South Korea
One of the problems with watching live baseball in Korea is the amount of netting they put up around the field. One time at a game, when I was sitting next to a Korean who could speak English, I asked him why all the netting and whistles with every foul ball. He told me that a video of a fan getting hit in the eye with a foul ball (and subsequently losing eyesight in that eye) in the USA made the rounds in Korea and it freaked people out. At the KIA Tigers games I purchase seats a little above the netting so that the net doesn’t obstruct my view. That wasn’t possible at Sajik Baseball Stadium as nearly every seat has a net-obstructed view. I couldn’t take it anymore after a few innings so I headed down to one of the first few rows far down the foul line which were the only seats without a net in front of them. There was an usher checking tickets to get into this section, but I just walked past him. He figured it was easier to let me go then try to have a conversation with me in English.