Pro Baseball League Launches `Green Sports` Drive

The Korea Energy Management Corporation and the Korean Baseball Organization sealed a “green sports” deal yesterday to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Under the accord, the league will eliminate its traditional cleaning time after the fifth inning and cut pitching times.

To reduce game time, the time a pitcher has in between pitches will be cut. “If a pitcher doesn’t throw a ball within 12 seconds after a hitter assumes a hitting posture, the pitcher will receive a warning. Further warnings will be counted as balls,” a league source said.

Only consecutive warnings after the first warning will be counted as balls, however.

The cleaning time at the end of the fifth inning to restore the ballpark in good shape will be abolished. Instead, brief cleaning will be held after the third, fifth and seventh innings.

The new rules will take effect late next month.

Japan’s pro baseball league since 2008 has sought to cut game time under the project “green baseball.” It presented at the project’s launch a goal of cutting game time six percent, and the average game time in 2008 declined six minutes from the previous year to three hours 13 minutes.

In addition, the Korean league will create an environment for energy conservation. Eco-friendly cars will be used to transport pitchers from the bullpen to the mound. Lights in the ballpark will also be replaced with LED.

Solar power facilities will be installed at Jamsil, Busan Sajik, Incheon Munhak, and Daejeon stadiums.

The energy corporation said, “Most pro baseball games are at night so a cut in game time will have the effect of energy conservation,” adding, “Beginning with pro baseball, which drew six million spectators last year, the energy conservation campaign will be expanded to other sports.”

alwaysj@donga.com