I really need Korea too... The grand dignity of the winner of the international competition and the regrettable reality of Korea
Feb 05, 2025
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The dignity of the modern domed stadium tugged at the master's heart.
Taipei Dome, which opened in December 2023, is Taiwan's pride. It is the latest dome stadium that has just been opened for more than a year, completed later than Esconfield Hokkaido (opened in March 2023) in Sapporo, Japan.
Although it was first shown to domestic baseball fans through the Premier 12 group B game last year, it is still unfamiliar to Korean baseball officials.
The same goes for Lotte Giants manager Kim Tae-hyung. Taipei Dome came to him differently even after he had gone through all his life and death.
"The conditions are good and the training environment is really satisfactory," coach Kim Tae-hyung said of Tainan's facilities, which are holding Lotte spring camp on the media day of the Lotte-Taiwan WBC (World Baseball Classic) national team practice match held in Taipei on the 4th. All the facilities are perfect."
He then emphasized Taipei Dome, "(It's really magnificent. It'll be a good experience for Lotte)," while "Korea also needs a dome stadium, but it doesn't seem easy to build." There is a domed stadium, but it is smaller than here."
Even Kim Won-joong, who was present on Media Day, came to Taipei Dome differently. He also released a photo taken with Chen Jie-hsien (Tongue Lions), who represented Taiwan.
Taipei Dome is the site where Korea suffered a rematch with Lin Yu-min (Arizona Diamondbacks Double A), who met at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and a 3-6 defeat. South Korea also lost in the match against Japan, and eventually accepted the shocking report card of elimination from the group stage.
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Taiwan is hoping for a good performance in 2026 WBC as well. It is still in a position to take the first step. He must pass Group A of the preliminary round against Nicaragua, Spain and South Africa on the 21st to play in next year's WBC finals.
As a result, active investment in baseball infrastructure seems to have led to good performance. Taipei Dome doesn't even have a professional baseball team.
Taiwan has a professional baseball league (CPBL) consisting of a total of six clubs, including the Zhongxin Brothers, the Tung Yi Lions, the Rakuten Monkeys, the Fubang Guardians, the Wei Quan Dragons, and the Taigang Hawks, but Taipei Dome has only neutral games. The management company seems to prioritize large-scale events such as international competitions and concerts over professional baseball.
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There is currently only one domed stadium in Korea, Gocheok Dome. Unlike the United States, Korea, which has a long rainy season, frequent rain, and relatively cold weather, is desperate for a dome stadium, but the wall of reality is not easy.
Gocheok Dome is also a small dome stadium with only 16,000 seats. At the time of design, it was an open baseball field designed for baseball. However, it was transformed into a dome stadium after a rough-and-ready tabletop administration.
Nevertheless, it is the only domed stadium and the largest K-pop concert hall in Korea. In fact, it is regrettable that it functions as a baseball field in many ways. The ceiling of the ballpark is painted gray, making it difficult to see the flyball, the width of the seat is too narrow and the slope is steep. This is the result of forcing the function of domes into insufficient space.
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Therefore, the baseball community has high expectations for Jamsil Dome Stadium, which will open in 2032. Initially, Sajik Stadium in Busan has also been talked about as a domed stadium for decades, but reconstruction into an open baseball stadium was recently confirmed in 2031. Hanwha Life Ballpark, which will debut this year, is also an open baseball stadium.
Taiwan's WBC national team will play a practice game against Lotte on the 12th and 13th before the WBC qualifying round. It's literally the final rehearsal ahead of the main stage. It is also a good opportunity for Lotte, which is about to open the league.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
