“It’s better than dying because it’s hot.”
The Chuseok holiday and autumn equinox are just around the corner. Temperatures are still hovering around 30 degrees Celsius or higher. Many people are groaning due to the heat wave. The same goes for professional baseball. Right-hander Won Tae-in took the mound as the starting pitcher in the match against Incheon SSG on Wednesday, but only four innings later. “I’ve never seen him do that before,” Samsung manager Park Jin-man said. At the Doosan and Kiwoom games held at Jamsil Stadium on Wednesday, center fielder Moon Dong-gyun was replaced due to dizziness in the top of the 10th inning.
It is not just players. The coaching staff, staff and even spectators are complaining of difficulties. As people are exposed to the sun for a long time, an increasing number of people are experiencing heat illness while watching games. Medical offices of each team are almost full. In fact, 43 spectators complained of dizziness at Sajik Stadium in Busan on Sunday. This illustrates the seriousness of the situation. Except for one teenager heading to a hospital, most of the teenagers tried to cool down or drink cold water on the spot.
The Korea Baseball Organization must also have some difficulties. Ahead of this season, the 안전놀이터 KBO has set the opening hours of professional baseball games after the hot weather (July-August) at 2 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays and 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Even when drafting the remaining schedule, it was hard to predict that the abnormal temperature would continue in September. Nonetheless, we cannot afford to just watch the situation. The cleaning time for Thursday’s game was increased to 10 minutes (about 4 minutes), and the previous three games were changed from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Changing the duration of a game is not easy at all. It had to affect reservation and broadcasting. Players’ routines could also get mixed up. Nonetheless, the decision was inevitable. On the field, the team seems to be welcoming the decision. “Wasn’t it better than dying (from hot weather),” KT coach Lee Kang-chul said. “Players’ faces turned red after three innings in the last game.” “This weather makes it too much of a burden to play a game at 2 p.m. Not only physical but also poor concentration,” KT coach Park Jin-man said.
It’s not just this time. The game is also expected at 2 p.m. on the 22nd. Rain news is predicted in the meantime, but there are voices saying that a plan is needed just in case. Furthermore, there is a view that fundamental changes should be made. “Spring and autumn seem to be gone now,” coach Lee Kang-chul said. “If this weather continues next year, I think it would be better not to play during the day in September. I think doubleheader is also difficult after June.” The need for a dome stadium that is not affected by the weather also increases.
