Baseball Oogie: Gwangju

On a Familiar Feeling

Mudeung Stadium, 2012

Sunday, June 24, 2012
SK Wyverns vs. Kia Tigers
Mudeung Stadium
Korea Professional Baseball
Gwangju, South Korea
5:00 PM

Outside of the Game:
Another day, another early morning slog carrying all my possessions. After putting all my half-dried clothes from the night before in my bag, I marched off to the train station and waited for my train. It was about a two-hour ride, but the long days and short nights were catching up with me, so I spent most of it unconscious. What little time I was up was spent on the scorecard from the night before, until reaching Gwangju station.

Trains, trains

A quick subway ride later (the Gwangju subway also used the casino chip RFID chips as one-way tickets), and I was at my hotel. Once again, although incredibly early to check in, the hotel staff was nice enough to accommodate me, so I was able to drop off my bags in my room, re-hang my clothes out to dry, and then head off into the city.

Gwangju is known as something of an artsy city, and boy, if I know one thing, it is that you should visit artsy cities really early on a Sunday. Well, fate had put me here at that time, and I, for the most part, had the place to myself that early afternoon, as the place clearly hadn't woken up from the activities from last night. This being an arts town, I decided it only fair that I check out the arts district. I took a subway ride out to the construction site for the huge "National Asian Culture Complex," which has it own station even during construction, and then did a bit of walking around.

Throughout the city, and even in the subway station that I exited, there are monuments to "May 18," which was the day in 1980 when democracy protesters in Gwangju were massacred by government troops. Most people forget that for most of its history, South Korea was another right-leaning military dictatorship that the US helped prop up. Truly democratic elections weren't held until the mid-90s, and this was one of the less savory events from that authoritarian past.

I visited a temple in the arts district, and then walked around the arts area proper. You really can't wonder if you are there or not, as there are statues lining the streets, and other manner of street art are readily visible. If you ever get really lost, there's a big arch that lets you know exactly where you are. The place was mostly deserted on this early Sunday afternoon, but it was nice enough to walk around, and if I ever do come back to Korea, I'd definitely want to check this area out on a more copacetic day of the week.

Artsy area is artsy

After visiting Art Street, I took a walk along the canal towards the center of town. Along the way, I ran into what I think was a high-school baseball team starting a practice, which I watched for a while. I'm not entirely sure what they made of me if they even saw the sweaty American watching them play from the outfield fence.

The subway station closest to the baseball stadium was also the one nearby the big retail shopping district of town, so I grabbed some lunch and walked around before heading up to the early afternoon game. In the shopping plaza was an MLB store, which might explain how everyone in Korea was getting the Yankee hats that were ubiquitous everywhere you went. I made the short hike up to the stadium and got in line for tickets.

It was only about 8 PM at the end of the game, and I got back to the hotel at a reasonable hour, which was good, because I had yet another early start, and a plane ride of all things, the next morning.

The Stadium and Fans:

Home to center, Mudeung Baseball Stadium

Home plate to center field, Mudeung Baseball Stadium

Mudeung Baseball Stadium was another one of those small, wedged-in stadiums that seemed to be the purview of the smaller cities in Korea. It had a bit more space around it than Deagu, but it was up tight around the surrounding streets, even if the parking lot and construction site gave it a little breathing room. And, if I understand the construction site correctly, it looks like the Tigers will be getting a new stadium some time soon.

Mudeung itself was quite similar to Deagu Baseball Stadium. It was mostly one level all around out into the bleachers in the outfield, with an additional row of seat from first base to third base. The home plate seats were closed off, but so were the bleachers, so you could only walk around in your own area (though I managed to sneak out to the bleachers for some pictures when they opened the gates up after the game).

The amenities inside the stadium were even more primitive than at Daegu. There were one or two convenience store kiosks located throughout the stadium in claustrophobic and narrow concrete hallways, but that was about it. Outside, there were one two larger concessions, along with the team store, and the regular group of non-authorized carts and booths huddled just outside the entrance to the stadium. There was a Kia in the "Home Run Zone" in center field, and there was a pitching area for fans outside the side entrance to the stadium.

The place clearly had seen better days, and the seats were old and the concrete had cracks in it everywhere, but the place clearly felt more lived-in than decrepit. On the first-base home cheering section, there was a giant inflatable tiger. They were test-inflating the tiger before the game (and "test inflating the tiger" has become my favorite euphemism for darn near anything since I saw that), but it wasn't quite working correctly and had to be put away. But everyone already in the stadium seemed in good spirits about it. Some call it worn-down; I call it character. It's too bad it looks to be replaced by a newer model next door.

Old as it may be, Mudeing was filled with fans, and unlike nearly all the other stadiums I visited, it was filled with all home fans all around the stadium. There wasn't a visiting contingent from what I could tell, nor anything set up on the third-base side. It was impressive show of support for the home team, if perhaps in a smaller venue.

FUN!

During the game, there was a lot more games than just dance numbers by the cheerleaders. There was a, god help us all, kiss cam, as well as a dance contest, two things that you'd find in Japan slightly after a frozen flying pig was found in Hell. Perhaps the starkest contrast between the Korean baseball experience and the American was found when they had a beer drinking contest between innings. You did just read that correctly. At a major league sporting event, one of the sanctioned contests was a beer drinking contest. No, no, wait. You'll never guess what the winner got: a case of beer. Mind blown, yo.

If this all wasn't enough of an experience for me, they even threw in a proposal. Unlike at an American game where they just got down on a knee and asked, the MC called the couple up, I'd imagine on the pretense of a game or something, and then they played a video on the scoreboard that the fiancée nee boyfriend put together. Then he got down on the knee and gave her the ring and all that. Now that is how you propose at a ballgame. Unsurprisingly, she said yes.

At the Game with Oogie:

So close, but so far.

My ticket-buying routine had quickly turned into a regimen, and with the use of the stadium map and my patented drawing, I got my ticket on the first base side with minimal fuss. Once again, it was wall-to-wall families at the game, and I found myself sitting amongst them just beyond first base proper.

Working the score card had drawn some stares at the first two games, but no one had tried to talk to me about it. I was actually head down trying to fill in the line-up before the start of the game when I heard the now-familiar, "Hello!"

I looked up, and a young boy of five or six was standing proudly in front of me. "Nice to meet you," we exchanged. "Are you here for yagu... baseball?" he corrected himself. "Yes," I replied. "Why are you writing?" he overpronounced.

Well, here it gets tricky. He has basic English; I have basic Korean. Baseball scorekeeping is an esoteric thing even in America. "I'm keeping score," I said hopefully. He repeated what I said, looked confused.

"Come during the game," I told him, and as he was sitting behind me, that wouldn't be a problem. This proved sufficient for him. "Goodbye," we exchanged.

I was still writing away during the game, and when the group next to me left for a while, he bounded down next to me. "Hello!" he belted out again.

I waited for a player to do something, which I think was a walk, and I pointed to the player, and then his name on the scorecard, and then I wrote down what he did in the scorebook. He watched me suspiciously. The next batter got out, and I did the pointing thing and wrote the out in red, and he seemed to get it. The next batter doubled in a run, and so I recorded all of that, and he seemed satisfied at what was going on, said, "Thank you!" and then ran up to his parents to explain what the crazy American was doing in rapid-fire Korean.

And it wasn't just that. There was something about the whole experience. I think it was a combination of the clearly enthusiastic crowd, and the slightly dumpy stadium, and the interaction with the kid, but I was doing more than merely watching a game. And I also realized that I have a type, because this was nearly the exact same experience I had with the Yakult Swallows my first year in Japan. I'm pretty sure I have a team in Korea now, too.

The Game:

First pitch, Wyverns vs. Tigers

This was a low-scoring affair from the get-go that looked to perhaps wrap itself up in two hours by the halfway point. Both sides went in order in the first. A leadoff walk for the visiting Wyverns was followed with a one-out double that brought the runner all the way in from first, and the score was 1-0 Wyverns. And it would stay that way for a long while. The Tigers got a two-out walk in the bottom of the second, and with the exception of a one-out hit by the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth, the teams went in order from then until the fifth.

The Wyverns had something to work with in the fifth, where a leadoff single was followed by a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into an infield hit, leaving two men on. But a double-play ball left only the runner at second, and two consecutive walks to load up the bases were followed by a grounder to short to end the threat. The Tigers went in order in their half of the inning.

The Wyverns tried again in the next inning, where a one-out single was followed by a single, but a double play again put and end to the threat. The Tigers only managed a walk erased by another double play in the bottom frame. The Wyverns only scratched a single in the top of the seventh, while the Tigers put together their first credible threat of the game. A leadoff single was sacrificed over, and then followed by an intentional walk. A grounder to short left it first and third with two outs. The subsequent batter got plunked to load them up, but a fly out to right ended the threat, leaving the score 1-0 Wyverns.

The Wyverns' lone single in the top of the eighth got erased on yet another double play, and the Tigers looked to get on the board in the bottom of the inning. A leadoff single led to a pinch runner and a pitching change. The runner was sacrificed over to second, and yet another Tiger got plunked to make it first and second with one out. A weak single loaded the bases, but a come-backer to the pitcher went home to cut off the run, but leave the bases loaded. Again, a fly to the outfield ended the threat.

The top of the ninth had a single hit for the Wyverns, but it was finally the Tiger's time to shine in their last at-bat. A strikeout started the inning on a down note, but it was followed by a single and another pinch runner. The next batter singled to center, and a mis-play by the center fielder led to and extra base for everyone with just one out. The next batter got an intentional pass to load them up, but the next batter got another solid single, bringing home a run and leaving the bases loaded with the score tied at 1.

The Tiger's leadoff hitter grounded one to short that should have been a play to any base to send us to extra innings, but he booted it, allowing the run to score and Tigers to have a walk-off E6, winning 2-1.

The Scorecard:

Wyverns vs. Tigers, 06/24/12. Tigers win, 2-1.

This game was a cornucopia of double plays, with five being turned in the course of the game. There was the rather mundane 5-4-3 turned on the Tigers in the fourth, and the rare (in the US) strike-'em-out-throw-'em-out K-2-6 number on the Wyverns in the eighth.

Then things get decidedly odd. A dinker in front of the plate by the Wyverns with two men on in the fifth led to the all-so-common 1-5-3 DP. And then, there was not one, but two L-3-3 double plays on line outs directly to the first baseman, who then got to the bag before the runner at first to double them up. One for each team in the same inning (the top and bottom of the sixth). I remember thinking when I saw the one on the Wyverns that I'd never see another one of those in person again in my life. I was off by a half inning.

The Accommodations:

Ramada Plaza Hotel

For this stop, I went to the slightly upscale Ramada Plaza Hotel. The price wasn't bad, and it was relatively close to the airport that I'd be using to get to Jeju the next day, as well as the subway I'd be using to get to the game.

The room certainly reflected the slightly fancy bit. I had a big bed with an extra chair and table, and the other wall of the room was dominated by a desk and TV. The bathroom was a glass and porcelain design with a separate shower and bathtub across the room from each other. That would come in very useful after the game when I went to soak the day out of me.

One bit of amusement was their stationary. I think it was may have been a translation problem or a lack of usage understanding with punctuation, because their notepad read: Have A "Wonderful" Stay. Yeah, same to you, buddy.