The 19th Hangzhou Asian Games ended successfully with various sporting events making headlines in Korea. Among the standout performances by Korean national team players in multiple sports, the crowning achievement was earning a gold medal in baseball. In fact, baseball emerged as a major highlight of the Asian Games, fueling the fervor for the sport across the nation. This enthusiasm is further stoked by the commencement of post-season baseball, also known as the Autumn League. There is a wide array of sports in Korea to choose from, so what ignites our passion for baseball? The Dankook Herald (DKH) is happy to introduce this sport to our readers to understand better why it is such a cherished pastime.

▲ Baseball fans are fervently supporting their team. (Photo from the Dankook Herald)

  The Korean Baseball League (KBO League) has the oldest history in professional sports in Korea. The games are hosted across ten clubs in nine stadiums. The league starts in early April and ends in late October every year. After the regular season ends, the top five teams of each season advance to the post-season and continue the Korean series baseball. The KBO league is now leading the popular sport and box office hit among domestic sports leagues. According to professional sports data collected for 2019, the average number of spectators in the KBO league ranked 7th among all Asian sports. The cheering culture of the KBO league is the reason the sport has become the most popular league in Korea. Each team and player have their own unique chants for different situations: line-up, entrance, cheering competition, etc. Cheerleaders uplift the atmosphere of the game by leading fans in cheers while performing dance moves on the stage. In addition to cheering at the games, fans enjoy stadium food. In Korean baseball, each stadium offers representative food of the region. For example, at Samsung Lions Park in Daegu, you can find flat dumplings, and at the Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon vendors sell Daejeon Station Garak noodles. Also, stadiums set up various themed zones to help fans enjoy the outing to the ballpark. At Landers Field in Incheon, they have a barbeque zone where you can grill your own meats. Additionally, at Sajik Stadium in Busan there is a glamping zone called the Rocket Battery Zone, where you can enjoy baseball and camping at the same time.

▲ Fans Packed the Stadium (Photo from the Dankook Herald)

  The DKH was curious about the differences between Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and the KBO. We interviewed a Dankookian (Student of DKU) who is interested in both the leagues to find out more. She said she initially had an interest in the KBO, but some Korean players advanced to the MLB, so she naturally became interested in that league too. Her friends around her were also interested in both the KBO and MLB. She shared with us her experience of watching the MLB team the LA Dodgers in a game last September at Dodgers Stadium. She said that watching a game at Dodgers Stadium was different from watching a game at a KBO stadium. The scale of the MLB Stadium’s grounds gives a different sense of grandeur. MLB’s Busch Stadium has around 20,000 more seats than KBO’s Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium. In addition, she pointed out that the playing style and rules were different. In KBO, the game is played up to the 12th inning. In contrast, MLB games only play up to the 9^th, with the remaining innings introduced only in the case of overtime. She said that due to the extra-inning rule, she was excited for more intense and suspenseful games in MLB. This rule encourages quick scoring to reduce game time necessary. She regarded the cheering culture in both leagues as one of the best charms of baseball. She said that in KBO, there are not only various cheering chants but also cheering tools used by the crowd which adds to the enjoyment of game for the spectators. KBO’s representative cheering tool was a balloon stick, but these days, it has changed to a bat made of paper or plastic to be more eco-friendly. However, she added that the MLB also has cheering comments for each club, so she could chant excitedly with the rest of the crowd. In the case of the Dodgers, she watched fans shout “Let’s go Dodgers!” during offensive plays or when an inning was successfully concluded. MLB does not have a cheering culture like KBO that sings chants and calls for victory, but the actions of the crowd demonstrated a love for the team and a strong desire for victory.

▲ ‘One Shot,' the Most Popular Menu in Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium (Photo from the Dankook Herald)

  The DKH visited Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium in Jamsil for the game between the LG Twins and Doosan Bears. It was the last home game for LG, who won the championship for the first time in 29 years. The Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium was full, with many fans wearing LG uniforms on the subway heading to the stadium supporting the home side. Entering the stadium, the stands were filled with yellow towels for LG and white sticks for Doosan. Fans of both teams were enthusiastic because it was an important game. It would mean a perfect finale and meant a perfect finale for the home team LG and a higher ranking for Doosan. In the end, LG won 5-2. They celebrated their victory, and the stadium was filled with cheers from LG fans as the team were presented with the trophy.

  The DKH also experienced the food of Seoul Sports Complex Baseball Stadium. We visited ‘Deli Spoon by Café Amoje,’ one of the most popular restaurants in the stadium. We ordered ‘One Shot,’ the most popular item on the menu here. ‘One Shot’ is a place where patrons can enjoy beer, fried chicken, and French fries in one of the three flavors. It also offered the convenience of easy handling and enjoying the fast food by fitting it into a cup holder on the stadium seat. You can use beer shops throughout the stadium if you want to enjoy cold beer during the game. If you have an infield seat, you can also try the beer served by one of the stadium ‘Beer Boys.’ In addition, if you order food through Kakao Talk, you can use the delivery service ‘Baseball & Order,’ and have your meal delivered to your seat. Numerous services are offered for fans' enjoyment and convenience at the stadium.

▲ LG twins takes home the KBO League trophy. (Photo from LG twins Instagram)

  Baseball is a sport that young and old can enjoy as a spectator. The KBO league offers a wide range of entertaining experiences for fans, including cheering, diverse food options, and fan zone events. These fun activities encourage active fan participation and are responsible for the strong interest of many people in the KBO league. As Korean baseball is now at its peak, the DKH hopes that readers watch the baseball games and experience the passionate sports spirit of Korean baseball fans.