'I've been waiting for 40 minutes'Gwangju. Kim Do-young's equalizer + Socrates reverse hit was wasted and the game was stopped in the 4th inning → No Game Rain was canceled

Aug 20, 2024

Rare of thunderstorms appeared on the electronic display. KIA Tigers' readiness stands out. Reporter Kim Young-rok

The match between KIA and Lotte at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. In the top of the fourth inning, Hwang Sung-bin's at-bat with two outs and a runner on second base is being stopped due to rain. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2024.08.20/

The match between KIA and Lotte will be held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. A large tarpaulin ground in a sudden downpour. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2024.08.20/

Water bombs exploded twice a day. This time, thunder and lightning struck, and repeated heavy rains penetrated the ground without mercy. The repeatedly scratched ground flowed like a stream, and a huge water hole was formed in front of the dugout as if there was a hole.

The Lotte Giants-KIA Tigers match was held at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th.

The sky was unusual even before the game. As it passed 3:30 p.m., the first heavy rain poured down as if there was a hole in the sky.

KIA's stadium management team moved quickly. The super-large tarpaulin was taken out and the whole thing was covered. It was a huge rainstorm that covered the whole field of view white.

However, the rain, which had been falling for about 20 minutes, died down and the sky soon cleared. The ground was busily maintained, and the game was held normally soon.

Lotte Kim Jin-wook and KIA Hwang Dong-ha will face off as starters. Lotte took the first place. In the top of the first inning, leadoff hitter Hwang Sung-bin walked out with a hit ball, followed by Yoon Dong-hee's hit. With one out and runners on first and third, Reyes scored with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The match between KIA and Lotte at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. Lotte Reyes hit an RBI sacrifice fly in the first inning. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2024.08.20/

However, Lotte did not take advantage of repeated opportunities. After two outs in the second inning, Son Sung-bin hit a double, but it was not connected to the score. In the third inning, Yoon Dong-hee's hit and Na Seung-yeop's walk gave him a chance to hit first and second bases with two outs, but Jeon Joon-woo stepped down with a fly ball to right field.

And KIA's counterattack was made in the bottom of the third inning. This time again, the ball that fits the body was the start. After the first death, Kim Tae-gun was the main character.

Park Chan-ho's hit and Choi Won-joon's fly ball put him on first and second bases with two outs. Here, "Superstar" Kim Do-young entered the batter's box. Kim Do-young called in second baseman Kim Tae-gun with a timely hit in front of left field. With Reyes' home pitch missing, Park Chan-ho and Kim Do-young advanced to the second and third bases, respectively. And Socrates turned the game around 3-1 with a two-run timely hit that completely separated the left-center field.

The match between KIA and Lotte at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. Kim Tae-gun scored during Kim Do-young's timely hit in the third inning. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2024.08.20/

Lotte also opened its counterattack in the top of the fourth inning. After one out, Roh Jin-hyuk hit a double to left-center to heat the atmosphere. However, in Hwang Sung-bin's at-bat with two outs and runners on second base, the second heavy rain began to pour as if a hole had been drilled in the sky.

The game seemed to be going on for a while, but soon it shook the scene with thunder and lightning. Eventually, the game was suspended as of 7:46.

Even after the game was suspended, there was a huge downpour. Thunder and lightning, of course, continued to flash, threatening the safety of the audience, and the electronic display displayed 'Lightning Warning'.

At around 8:15 p.m., the rain barely died down, but the ground was a chaos. A large water hole appeared as if blocking the dugout, and a number of water holes were also noticeable above the tarpaulin in the infield.

The match between KIA and Lotte at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 20th. KIA fans who support Kim Do-young. Gwangju =Song Jeong-heon, Reporter Song@sportschosun.com/2024.08.20/

This year, it set a new record for the largest number of spectators ever, exceeding 8.4 million. The Premier 12 is also scheduled after the season, so KBO has moved the season's opening to the end of March, and since then, it has focused on continuing the game without canceling the rain.

In the end, KBO decided to cancel the final rain at around 8:20 p.m. It was a disappointing result for KIA home fans, who had a long time, and Lotte away fans who went on an away trip to Gwangju. It is also an upset result for Kim Jin-wook and Hwang Dong-ha, who pitched hard as starters on the day.

The canceled game will be postponed to September 12, the preliminary date. The problem is that rain was also predicted on the 21st and 22nd, the next day. The games that will be canceled after that day will be scheduled later.