“The baseball park is well built. It’s really nice.”
Lee Beom-ho, manager of the KIA Tigers, expressed admiration during his first visit to the new home stadium of the Hanwha Eagles, Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park. As he stepped into the new park for the official first game of the regular season against the opposing team, manager Lee also appeared to be filled with emotion.
Manager Lee said, “The baseball park is well built. It’s really nice. I believe Daejeon Hanwha fans will find it comfortable to watch baseball here, and they will feel good as well. It’s built with a feel of a foreign baseball park. It has the vibe of the foreign parks I saw during the World Baseball Classic (WBC), and it’s beautifully constructed.”
At the same time, the manager remarked, “I should have done this well earlier,” evoking laughter from the reporters with a joking tone. The manager spent 10 years at Hanwha, having joined in 2000 and played until he moved to Japan in 2009, becoming a national team third baseman.
Daejeon holds nostalgic memories for the manager, who spent his youthful twenties at Hanwha. For the manager, who played at the outdated facilities of Hanwha Life Eagles Park (formerly Hanbat Baseball Stadium) until last year, the new stadium in Daejeon feels like a completely different era.
Memories are one thing, while competition is another. For KIA, it’s the first time playing at Hanwha Life Eagles Park, which puts them at a disadvantage as the players are not adapted to the characteristics of the stadium. The manager noted, “I wish we could have had a practice game. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I think the players will have to figure it out during the game.”
The most noticeable feature is the right side 8-meter-high Monster Wall, making it difficult for left-handed hitters to hit home runs. The manager remarked, “No matter how high the fence is, home runs can happen. Left-handed or right-handed, if it's hit well, it can clear the wall.” He added, “However, Hanwha's starting rotation is really good this series. It would be great if home runs come, but I think we need to play detailed baseball. The (Monster Wall) is definitely high. It will be a factor.”
KIA lost the series against Kiwoom in Gwangju earlier in the week. With injuries to Kim Do-young and Park Chan-ho, the team has stumbled to a record of 2 wins and 3 losses in their first five games. Hanwha, who lost four straight after winning the season opener, is also in a must-win situation in this three-game series.
Before the game, manager Lee exchanged greetings and chatted with Hanwha manager Kim Gyeong-mun, stating, “Manager (Kim Gyeong-mun) encouraged both of us as we are struggling early on to keep our spirits up. We've just completed five games. Every manager wants to win. I’ll do my best to win.”
Meanwhile, KIA's lineup against Hanwha starter Cody Ponce featured Kim Sun-bin (second baseman), Hong Jong-pyo (third baseman), Na Sung-bum (right fielder), Choi Hyung-woo (designated hitter), Patrick Wisdom (first baseman), Lee Woo-sung (left fielder), Choi Won-jun (center fielder), Kim Tae-gun (catcher), and Kim Gyu-seong (shortstop). James Neale plans to start with over 80 pitches, while Hong Jong-pyo will make his first start of the season as the second batter at third base.
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