Doosan manager Lee Seung-yeop expressed strong dissatisfaction. He mentioned the fact that the team will play in Ulsan and Pohang for the second consecutive year. It is all the more problematic because it is a hot summer. Lotte and Samsung, both of their home teams, and the Korea Baseball Organization, have their own situations.
The regular season schedule will be confirmed and announced by KBO before the season. For the 2024 season, the schedule came out on January 3rd. At this time, the second pitch game has not been assigned. After that, the home team decides. Ulsan is Lotte and Pohang is Samsung. The change of venue was announced on April 17.
A KBO official said, “The home team will decide the schedule. Coincidentally, Doosan will play in Ulsan and Pohang for the second consecutive year. Since 2018, Doosan has performed a lot in July and August. I will adjust the schedule in the next season. I think we should keep one team. I think we should avoid it when it’s too hot.”
The key is timing. Doosan played against Lotte in Ulsan from June 30 to July 2 last season and played against Samsung in Pohang from July 4 to 6. This year, it visited Ulsan from July 16 to 18. The upcoming games will be held in Pohang from July 20 to 22. They will all be in summer.
“We have to do it in the hottest August at the artificial turf stadium in Pohang. I don’t know why we’re the only ones doing it two years in a row. I don’t understand,” Lee said.
How did Samsung decide on the schedule? A club official said, “There are situations in my own way. March to May is not easy. Pohang Stadium seats 12,000 people. It is half of Daegu Samsung Lions Park. It is true that there is a big difference in sales.”
“When the team has six consecutive home games, they ask us to hold one series. Pohang is also an away game. I can’t help but think about it. That’s how August was set,” he said.
There is something peculiar about this year. “We agreed to play six games with Pohang City. This year, Pohang Stadium hosted the presidential cup in July (July 23 to August 3). Only three games will be played. The schedule was in August. It was not necessarily set against Doosan.”
What about Lotte? The game against LG was canceled immediately on the 2nd and 4th. It is the first time in the 먹튀검증 KBO league. As expected, it is an artificial turf field. There is no law not to let this happen again.
“In the past, we played games in April, May or September. We were pushed back this season due to the installation of ABS. We also need to consider moving around. Ulsan is also close to away games. It is more difficult to lose one of the six consecutive home games,” a Lotte official said. “The game is slightly different from Samsung’s.
Also, he said, “As the number of spectators is half of the total number of seats in the audience, there are some areas where income is lost. We have to watch it again next year. We had to cancel the heat wave. We have to review it from various angles. Last year, we played in August. It’s a problem because it’s too hot this year.”
In addition, he said, “We caught the match against Doosan because we took it purely in consideration of our schedule. It was only July and August, but Ulsan strongly wanted a weekend. I tried to do well, but this is what happened. The club and Ulsan City are in trouble.”
The second ball game is necessary. If you have to do it anyway, you’d better avoid the hottest days. It seems that you were hit by an unexpected “climate raid.” It could happen again next year. Change is needed.