There were a total of six no games due to rain in the KBO League this season. There are 3 games in April, 2 games in June, and 1 game in August. KIA, which was the star of four of those games, is currently struggling with its schedule as it has the most games remaining.안전놀이터

There have been quite a few no games until the middle of the season, but there have been no games since September. Instead, there are prolonged outages. As of September, there were 7 games suspended due to rain until the 17th. Five of those games were stopped for more than 70 minutes, and two of them were stopped for more than 100 minutes, but no games 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 stopped after the 6th inning, were stopped for 46 and 47 minutes, respectively, and ended as cold games. Even if there is a rain cold call that constitutes a game, a no game equivalent to a game cancellation is not declared even if you wait for more than 100 minutes.

In recent years, the KBO League is struggling to keep up with its schedule due to the sudden and unexpected heavy rains that have occurred frequently in a climate that has changed from before. As the number of national competitions increases, there is a schedule that must be completed after the season every year, but as rain cancellations are frequent until the middle of the season, a ‘Maginot Line’ is set at the last minute and it is exhausting to finish the regular season schedule. While there were five no-games due to rain until June, the focus on ‘establishing a game’ from September onwards can be clearly seen through the second game of the Daejeon KT-Hanwha doubleheader on the 17th.

The game, which was stopped due to rain during the first at-bat in the bottom of the 5th inning when KT was ahead 3-1, resumed after being suspended for 3 hours and 24 minutes, the longest in history. The first criterion for stopping due to rain should be the condition of the ground caused by the rain, not the amount of rain, but today’s game was belatedly stopped because the ground was already soaked with water. In that state, a large tarp was ‘slowly’ laid down, and after about 30 minutes the rain stopped and the tarp was removed, but the ground was in a mess. However, on this day, they chose to reorganize the ground without a no-game, and the home team’s turtle-like maintenance work was added, resulting in a new record for the longest suspension in history. There were complaints from players who were stranded for three and a half hours, as well as requests for refunds and complaints from spectators who had to wait and go home without even seeing half of the game.

On the field, criticism has already been pouring in regarding the operation of rain-related games. I am very disappointed with the game management committee and referees who cannot reasonably decide whether to start or stop the game. There are also criticisms about the league environment, which is severely lacking in professional groundskeepers. The incident at Daejeon Stadium on the 17th, where maintenance took three hours due to ‘lack of manpower’, is a representative example. Recently, at a local stadium, while the home team’s players were away on an away trip, heavy rain poured down without even covering the stadium with a tarp, leading to a skit in which players from both teams trained indoors before entering the game to prepare the ground before the home game.

A veteran player in the league pointed out the realistic environment, saying, “Even though there has been a lot of improvement, there are stadiums where the grass is not maintained at all, and the lighting in Daejeon, Gocheok, and Jamsil is dark, which hinders performance,” and added, “Referee and ground management during rainy weather.” “I think the game could run much more smoothly if communication between the teams was smoother,” he expressed regret.

President Heo Heo-yeon’s KBO always pursues a ‘major league style’ and emphasizes an advanced baseball system. However, it is comical that an unreasonable 2-3 hour interruption occurs in Daejeon or Suwon, rather than in the United States, where you have to wait for several hours to travel between the eastern and western parts of the continent. This is especially true in today’s baseball, where the game is measured in minutes, emphasizing ‘speed up’ to relieve the boredom of spectators for the sake of baseball’s popularity. Rather, the major leagues regularly check weather forecasts through radar and, if necessary, protect the ground by laying down a tarpaulin in advance before it rains. This is only possible if the groundskeeper’s expertise is recognized, there is sufficient manpower, and communication with the referee is smooth.

As the climate changes, the KBO League’s troubles due to rain are bound to continue. Discussions have already begun to improve the system, such as holding double headers early in the season, but if the KBO is pursuing a ‘major league style’, efforts are needed to fundamentally improve game management capabilities and the environment. This is much more important than hosting the Major League Baseball opening game in Korea.