Baseball Korea-style    

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Whether you're a baseball fan or not, you'll want to include at least one game in your list of experiences in Korea. For one thing, the cost of a good seat at a game here costs about the same as a movie (W7,000 weekdays and W8,000 weekends for regular seats).

A missionary from the U.S. first introduced baseball to Korea in 1905 and it became popular, especially among high school students. There are still high school tournaments that attract attention:
President's Cup (begun by President Park Chung-hee) in March in Seoul
Bonghwanggi tournament, held in August in Incheon brings together all the teams. It’s the only one where there is no regional playoff.

The Korea Baseball Association (KBA - 대한 야구 협회) is Korea’s baseball governing organization while the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO - 한국 야구 위원회) governs the professional leagues. There are female teams but these fall under the oversight of the Women’s Baseball Association Korea (WBAK -한국 여자 야구 연맹). (See What’s Going On Sports for game schedules).

The Game Korea-style
1. Teams are referred to by the name of their sponsors and not the city in which they play – Doosan Bears (Seoul), Hanhwa Eagles (Daejeon), Kia Tigers (Gwangju), LG Twins (Seoul), Lotte Giants (Busan) Samsung Lions (Daegu), SK Wyverns (Incheon), Woori Heroes (Seoul).  See  Baseball Teams page for more details re teams and stadiums.
2. Total number of games: 126. Extra innings during the regular season limited to 12 but extended to 15 during the post-season.
3. Playoff differences: The first round is played between the 3rd and 4th place teams in a 3-game elimination series. The winner then plays the 2nd place team in a 5-game series. The 1st place team then meets the winner of that round in a 7-game series.

At the Game:
1. You may see two entrances – supporters of the home team entering through one with the visitors fans going in through the other.
2. Going to a baseball game in Korea is much more affordable than in many other places. Regular seat tickets are W7,000 weekdays and W8,000 for adults (students W2,000 less and for children subtract another W2,000). There are VIP seats at W25,000 and table seats at W12,000 weekdays and W15,000 weekends. Season tickets cost W110,000 weekday games and W112,000 for weekends.
3. Korean baseball has cheerleaders who encourage the fans to support their team. They have a cheer for every player and keep going through the whole game, with some costume (changes and updates) for the women cheerleaders who appear between innings usually. The one leading cheers throughout the game is usually male.
4. Support is expressed through ‘fight songs’ and noise makers such as drums and other instruments. You’ll also see fans holding inflatable tubes (cheer sticks). A baseball game is a noisy experience.
5. Instead of hot dogs, hot pretzels and peanuts, vendors offer kimbap, udon, dried squid, rice cakes, etc. There are also beer stands around the stadiums (as well as a variety of western-style fast food chains). Vendors may also be going through the stadiums selling food, beer, etc.

K4E Editor: We are working on making the information on this site as complete and accurate as possible, so if you notice any errors or omissions, please let us know at info@korea4expats.com

Image: wikipedia.org