Saturday, May 25, 2019
It’s the weekend! That means, no set schedule through our academic program. Before coming to Seoul, I had been given the recommendation to go to a South Korean baseball game, if that was something I was interested in. Four years ago, three friends and I piled into a Toyota Highlander, and traveled the country for 37 days, and succeeded in seeing a baseball game at every MLB stadium. So, you can say, I was very interested. If you are interested in that story, you can find it at our Diamond League Tour site. Soon, those posts will also be available on this site, I’m still in the process of consolidating my other travel blogs to this one.
Our game wasn’t set to start until 5pm, so we had the whole day to ourselves. A group of us decided to check out the Han River and have a picnic lunch before taking in the game. When we left that morning, we were met with less than ideal air quality. After a quick stop to buy masks, we were on our way.
After picking up a mix of western and Korean style snacks, we found a grassy spot for our picnic, with a great view of the river. Unfortunately, no one thought to bring a blanket. Even if we had brought a blanket, we still wouldn’t have fit into the picnic scene. Here, a picnic is quite the ordeal, complete with tents and tables. None the less the food and company were very enjoyable.
Walking along the river was a nice change of pace from the bustle of the city we were used to. The path was tree lined, the sun was shining, the air was improving, everything was great, and only made better when we stopped by an ice cream stand for a cool treat.
Now it was time for the game! I had found an American blog with directions on how to get tickets to a game in Seoul. The way the schedule worked out, we were going to see the Hanwha Eagles take on the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Stadium. Doosan was the home team, so I decided before the game started that I would be a Bears fan for the day. We showed up an hour early to get tickets because the Korean Baseball Organization site and app was only available in Korean. We asked for the cheapest seats possible, and ended up paying less than $10 each for unreserved outfield seats.
We did a quick pass through the (small) team shop, and were surprised to see how expensive the apparel was. A jersey was around $80, similar to at home. I was hoping for a magnet to take home and add to my collection, but they really only offered clothes here.
We hurried into the stadium to find 6 seats together, about 30 minutes before the game started. Our timing was perfect. As the game went on, people were sitting on the stairways, the walkways, and standing just about anywhere security would let them. Jamsil really tries to sell out that stadium, and it was packed. As far as looks go, the stadium is clean and bright. The seats are color coated by price which adds a nice pop of color. Because we were in the outfield reserve, we didn’t have access to the main portion of the stadium, similar to the bleacher section at Wrigley. Next time I’m at a baseball game in Seoul, I will have to sit along one of the base lines.
When it came time to eat, we decided that chimeak was the way to go – Korean fried chicken and beer. Some of you may know, that I REALLY don’t like fried chicken. KFC, Browns, Popeyes, ugh. The smell. The grease. I don’t eat it unless I have to. KFC and Popeyes are big brands around here, there are a few walking distance from where we are staying, and they even had a KFC at the stadium. We ended up going to a different chicken stand, where we got a box of chicken and nachos (corn chip rounds, no cheese included). These chicken strips/nuggets/fingers, whatever you want to call them WERE DELICIOUS! The breading was crispy, but not greasy, and the batter had a nice kick to it. Also, the Korean’s are holding out on us. How has eating chicken fingers with chopsticks not come to the US? It really is the superior delivery method.
The game was actually really good from the sport performance perspective. The Eagles started with a good lead, but the Bears brought it back and ended up winning 7-4. Not everyone I was with were huge baseball fans, so having it be an exciting game was helpful, but honestly, even if it had been a “bad game” the crowd would have kept us entertained. At sporting events there are always cheers and chants, hecklers and tactics to get the fans revved up. Here was so different.
I have never been to a game where the chants were so constant, and so in sync. Unlike American baseball games where there are fun cutaways during the game to keep people involved: sausage races in Milwaukee, team trivia questions, split the pot, singing take me out to the ball game — here, they didn’t need any of that. People were SO ENGAGED ON THEIR OWN. There were cheer leaders for each team present in the stands. Two types, cheer leaders the way we think of them, young women in cute outfits, but also leaders of cheers. They stood in the center of the stands and helped lead their fan bases in their coordinated chants. It was a sight to be seen and heard. The Eagles’ fans were the superior cheerers in my opinion.
Every announcement in the game was done in Korean, and I am 99% sure we didn’t sing anything related to Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the 7th inning stretch, but that didn’t stop me from getting my ice cream break. It’s been a tradition in my family since before I can remember. Back home, the ice cream typically comes in a cute little helmet bowl. That gimmick hasn’t made it to Korea yet, but the sweet treat was still delicious.
Back home, a game usually takes 3 hours. At 4 hours in, we were only through the 8th inning, and the game was very close, with the potential of extra innings. We had an early start for Sunday morning (6:30am!!) and made a group decision to head out around 9. Looking back, it would have been nice to see the end of the game. Doosan ended up winning, and I would have loved to see the explosion of the crowd when that happened. But, the trip home was smooth, the train was empty, and we made it back to campus nice and easy.
Oh, another update. Today I encountered my first non-Western style toilet. I hope not to stumble upon one of these again.
