With their home park, Gocheok Sky Dome, undergoing a makeover for historic Major League Baseball (MLB) games scheduled for this week, the Kiwoom Heroes have had to spend their entire spring training on the road.
It wasn’t until Sunday morning that the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club finally got their firsthand look at the revamped Seoul stadium. The Heroes will play the Los Angeles Dodgers later in the day, the first of two exhibition games for the Dodgers before they face the San Diego Padres in the two-game Seoul Series.
Those two games, scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, will be the first MLB regular season contests held in South Korea.
Not seeing their own home field for weeks is one of several inconveniences for the Heroes, but their manager Hong Won-ki said he and his team are trying to roll with the punches.
“This is a festival for everyone, and we’re trying to be the good host here,” Hong told reporters at Gocheok. “We understand that we have to make some sacrifices.”
Hong said he was
pleased with the new artificial grass and lights that have been installed for the Seoul Series. Now it’s up to his players to get acclimated to the new surroundings in time for the KBO regular season, which begins Saturday.
Hong also wants his young players to pick up a few lessons from facing the big leaguers.
“We have a lot of inexperienced players and I really hope that they will watch major league players and learn from them,” Hong said. “The Dodgers have one of the most powerful lineups in the majors. And regardless of the final score, it’s a huge honor for us to play these players. I hope my players will make the most of this opportunity.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency