'Can't believe this right before the game' was put on a huge tarpaulin. Eventually, the first game was delayed

Oct 21, 2024

Agents are covering the ground with a tarpaulin as it rains ahead of the first game of the Korean Series between Samsung and KIA at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 21st. Gwangju = Reporter Jeong Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2024.10.21/

Eventually, a large tarpaulin was laid.

The regular season winner KIA Tigers and the playoff winner Samsung Lions will face off in Game 1 of the Korean Series at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju from 6:30 p.m. on the 21st. KIA will have 'foreign ace' James Nail starting, and Samsung will have 'domestic ace' Won Tae-in.

However, the most worrisome part ahead of the first and second games in Gwangju was the weather. According to the Korea Meteorological Administration's forecast, there is a rain forecast in Gwangju on both the 21st and the 22nd. Both teams sensitively checked the weather forecast because it could be greatly affected by the cancellation of rain or the delay in the game schedule as it was a short-term match.

A match between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the Korean Series at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 21st. The crowd is waiting with umbrellas when it rains. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.10.21/

On this day, the Gwangju area is cloudy and cloudy all day. After 3 p.m., light rain fell one drop at a time, but the teams of both teams conducted outdoor training as scheduled. The home team KIA team came out first and conducted outdoor batting training and warm-up normally, and Samsung players, the away team, also began normal outdoor training from 4 p.m. It's cloudy, but fortunately, the temperature was not as low as 22 degrees Celsius, so both teams were relieved.

A match between the KIA Tigers and the Samsung Lions in Game 1 of the Korean Series at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 21st. When it rained, Kim Si-jin, the supervisor of the game, is checking the ground condition. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2024.10.21/

However, about an hour before the start of the game, the rain, which had stopped, began to fall again. Even if the rain was not thick, the crowd began to wear raincoats and umbrellas as the tracking rain began to fall. Eventually, at 6 p.m., the entire Champions Field infield began to be covered with super-large tarps. KBO was in a position to proceed with the game as much as possible, but the amount of rain was not small and the start of the delay was decided in consideration of the ground maintenance time.

Meanwhile, Champions Field sold out all 19,300 seats on the day. It is the record of selling out 17 consecutive KBO postseason games since the first game of the Korean Series last year, and the Korean Series has sold out 12 consecutive games since the first game of 2022. The cumulative number of spectators in the postseason this year, including Game 1 of the Korean Series, is 267,850. Gwangju = Reporter Na Yuri youll@sportschosun.com

youll@sportschosun.com

'Can't believe this right before the game' was put on a huge tarpaulin. Eventually, the first game was delayed

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