There have been six rainouts in the KBO this season. Three in April, two in June, and one in August. KIA, which was the protagonist of four of those games, is currently struggling with the most games remaining on its schedule.

No-games, which were common in the middle of the season, have been absent since September. Instead, there have been a lot of long interruptions. In September, there were seven rain delays, five of which lasted more than 70 minutes and two of which lasted more than 100 minutes, but none of them were declared no-games. On the other hand, the Gwangju Lotte-KIA game on the 13th and the Daejeon LG-Hanwha game on the 15th, which were suspended after the sixth inning, lasted 46 and 47 minutes, respectively, before ending in a rainout. Even if a rain call is issued, a no-game, which is equivalent to canceling a game, is not declared, even if it takes more than 100 minutes.

In recent years, the KBO has struggled to digest its schedule due to the unprecedented and unexpectedly heavy rainfall. Due to the increase in the number of national anthems, there is a post-season schedule that must be completed every year, but due to frequent rain cancellations until the middle of the season, the league sets a ‘minimum’ at the last minute and tries to finish the regular season schedule. While there were five rainouts in June, the team’s focus on ‘establishing a game’ since September can be seen in the second game of the KT-Hanwha doubleheader in Daejeon on the 17th.

The game, which was suspended due to rain in the top of the fifth inning with KT leading 3-1, resumed after 3 hours and 24 minutes, the longest rain delay in history. The first criterion for a rain delay is not the amount of rain, but the condition of the ground due to the rain, but the game was called late because the ground was already soaked and waterlogged. After about 30 minutes, the rain stopped and the tarp was removed, but the ground was still in terrible condition. However, there was no no-game on this day and the home team opted to rebuild the ground, which, combined with the tortoise-like maintenance work of the home team, resulted in the record for the longest suspension ever. There were complaints from players who were stuck for three and a half hours, as well as refund requests and complaints from spectators who were forced to wait and go home without seeing half the game.

There’s already been a lot of criticism of the way the game was handled in the rain. There is a lot of frustration with the officials and referees who are unable to make reasonable decisions on whether to start or stop a match. There are also criticisms of the league’s lack of professional groundskeepers. The Daejeon Stadium incident on the 17th, where it took three hours to repair due to ‘insufficient manpower’, is typical. Recently, at a local stadium, heavy rain poured down without a tarp while the home team was away, causing a skit in which both teams trained indoors and played a game while the grounds were actually being maintained before the home game.

A veteran player in the league pointed out the realistic environment, saying, “Even though it has improved a lot, there are some stadiums where the grass is not maintained at all, and the lighting in Daejeon, Gochuk, and Jamsil is poor, which hinders the performance.” “I think that if there is better communication between the umpires and the ground management during rainy weather, the game operation could be much smoother,” he lamented.

Heo’s KBO has always emphasized an advanced baseball system, aiming for a “Major League-style” approach. However, it is comical to see the unnecessary interruption of 2-3 hours in Daejeon or Suwon, not in the United States, where travelers have to wait for hours to go back and forth between the east and west of the continent. This is especially true in this day and age of baseball, where the popularity of the game emphasizes “speeding up” and timing games by the minute to keep spectators from getting bored. Instead, Major League Baseball constantly checks weather forecasts via radar, and if necessary, tarps are laid down to protect the field before it starts to rain. This is only possible if the groundskeepers’ expertise is recognized, they are well-staffed, and they communicate well with the umpires.메이저사이트

As the climate changes, the KBO’s problems with rain are bound to continue. There have already been discussions to improve the system, such as playing doubleheaders earlier in the season, but if the KBO wants to become a ‘major league-style’ organization, it needs to fundamentally improve its game management capabilities and environment. This is far more important than holding the opening game of the Major League Baseball season in Korea.