Lee Seung-yeop, manager of the Doosan Bears in the professional baseball league, made remarks about organizing the midsummer Pohang game. From next year, summer games are not expected to be held in the second pitch with artificial turf such as Pohang and Ulsan.메이저놀이터
Coach Lee Seung-yeop made a dissatisfied statement about the organization of three consecutive Pohang games against the Samsung Lions two weeks later ahead of Game 11 of the season against the LG Twins of the 2024 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 6th.
“It’s natural to be concerned about artificial turf in the middle of summer in Pohang, and I have strong dissatisfaction with why we keep being chosen,” Lee said. “I went to Ulsan and Pohang last year. Still, I will go to Ulsan and Pohang again this year. It is hard to understand considering the team’s performance. Two games in Ulsan were canceled last week. Playing in Pohang in August, the hottest month, is a matter of performance, physical stamina and distance traveled. I can’t understand the schedule.”
“We have May and June, but I don’t know why it’s now. If there is a reason why we can’t do it then, we should not do it at all. It is a summer when even natural grass can’t be played. Especially, I feel sorry for the catcher. I don’t know what to do on the artificial turf,” he continued.
Doosan will hold three consecutive games during the week at Pohang Stadium, the second stadium of the Samsung Lions, from the 20th to the 22nd. It is August, when the heat wave warning is in effect every day, and you have to play as many as three games on artificial turf, including geothermal heat. Another artificial turf stadium, Ulsan Munsu Stadium, was canceled on the 2nd and 4th due to the geothermal heat approaching 50 degrees Celsius.
Doosan also held six consecutive games in Ulsan (against Lotte Giants) and Pohang (against Samsung) from June 30 to July 6 last year. However, following the Ulsan game from July 16 to 18, the Pohang game was scheduled in August this year. Doosan is the only team that will play in Ulsan and Pohang for the second consecutive year. Unlike last year, the two second ball games were held in the middle of summer, which was unusual for Lee Seung-yeop.
For Lee, Pohang is the so-called “land of promise.” His career record at Pohang Stadium reached 362 percent in 39 games, 15 homers and 45 RBIs, with an OPS of 1.167, opening the era of 400 homers in his career against Lotte in Pohang on June 3, 2015. He also recalled sweeping the Samsung series in Pohang last year, the first year of his managerial career.
“I have a lot of good memories. They are not our players,” he said, sighing deeply, “Injured grass is really hard to play at 35 degrees Celsius. Besides, Pohang is not home to the second ballpark. I’m already worried about how I’ll play.”
“We have no choice but to accept it if we are told, but I hope we don’t have a match next year in Pohang. I sincerely ask for it,” he said. “The problem is not the arrangement of ports. It is my wish to set the temperature at below 30 degrees Celsius. If I am alone, the temperature can go up to 50 degrees Celsius. But the players are going to die.”
LG manager Yeom Kyung-yeop, who has nothing to do with this year’s Pohang game, also expressed his belief. “I don’t think we can play in Pohang. In fact, natural grass can be played if it closes at 18:00 or 19:00 regardless of how hot it is. Artificial turf is a problem. We can never do it because Korea has become a Southeast Asian climate. I don’t think it’s easy to start the game,” Yeom said.
In the case of the second ball game, the home team that uses the second ball has priority over the organization. The KBO initially organizes the Samsung, Lotte, and Hanwha games into Daegu, Sajik, and Daejeon, and then when the club requests the KBO to organize the second ball games such as Pohang, Ulsan, and Cheongju in consideration of internal circumstances and marketing, the KBO approves the system. Therefore, Samsung requested the KBO to organize the Pohang Series from August 20 to 22.
Was it possible for the national batter to make such remarks? A KBO official said in a telephone interview with OSEN on Tuesday, “We are considering not having the second ball in July and August from next year. Even if the club requests the team to do so at that time, we will ask the team to do so at a different time.”