Amateur-Pro Baseball to Cohabitate in Stadium

Japanese media every August explain the hectic away game schedule of the Hanshin Tigers this way: high school teams occupy the team’s home stadium. The stadium hosts Japan’s national high school baseball championships.

During the hot summer, the Tigers gladly play 19 straight games on the road to promote amateur baseball.

This cohabitation of amateur and professional baseball will soon open in Korea. Mokdong Stadium in western Seoul will feature the new pro team of KT, but also host amateur championships.

Previously, Dongdaemun Stadium hosted amateur games, but is no longer. The Korea Baseball Association will host the games through 2010, when a half-domed ballpark will be opened in Seoul. Guui Stadium in western Seoul is not big enough to host a national championship.

The plan, however, is a headache for the association. Each pro team needs 63 home games out of the 126 in a regular season. This leaves little room for ten amateur championships, which took 170 days at Dongdaemun Stadium last year. To accommodate the two schedules, Mokdong Stadium must stay open between March and October. If rain postpones a game, it will pose a big problem. The new KT team will have to endure the disadvantage of playing on the road for a long stretch and the ensuing exhaustion of its players.

An association official said, “We are planning to host several of the (amateur) championships at other stadiums. When KT officially forms a team, we will talk with the franchise and the Korea Baseball Organization.”

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is spending 5.3 billion won, or 5.6 million U.S. dollars, to renovate Mokdong Stadium. When completed in March, the ballpark will provide more comfort to fans with new grass, lighting equipment and design.

The renovated outlook and amateur-pro cohabitation will probably transform the once-deserted ballpark into a new baseball attraction.

beetlez@donga.com