Baseball: Korea's Pass Time

Hello everyone! It has been a few weeks since we have checked in but thats mainly because not to much as been going on. This past weekend is a different story though, we went to our first Korean baseball game in Gwangju! The Kia Tigers are our local time based in Gwangju (50 minutes away). There are only 8 teams in the Korean league and most (well, all) of the teams are based in big cities such as Seoul, Incheon, Busan, and Daegu but the Kia Tigers are the team for everyone living in rural Korea down south. We don't live in a very rural area but our provence is an agricultural center. So we had to go route for the Tigers!

Our co-teaher Yong informed us that when we go to the game we are suppose to drink beer and eat fried chicken, since this is what Koreans do at the game. I told Yong that our cultures share those baseball traditions.

We made a day of it in Gwangju. We went to an amazing Nepalese restaurant for lunch and stuffed our faces full of curry and nan bread before heading to the game. When we got there we bought our cases of beer and bottles of soju to bring into the stadium. You can bring whatever you want into the stadium, people brought giant coolers from home. We also got to just choose our seats and got a good spot in left field. We did as Koreans do and drank our beer and ate friend chicken (which was really good) and enjoyed a beautiful summers night and some baseball.

Throughout the game everyone was chanting and cheering and it was so much fun! Everyone cheered for every pitch and swing of the bat while every hit or catch by the other team (SK Wyverns) was greeted with a collective moan. There was a cheer section in the stadium lead by a group of cheerleaders that were rarely quiet. The stadium had a great atmosphere that was supported by the Tigers pilling on runs.

The final score was 7-9 Tigers. It was a close game until the 7th and 8th when the Tigers started running laps around the bases. They brought a 9-2 lead into the top of the 9th at home but let up 5 runs before closing things out. Just to keep it interesting I presume.

After the game we went to Tequilaz, a Mexican joint in Gwangju. The food is pretty good for Korean Mexican food. We just had a few beers before heading home late on the bus to Mokpo. All in all, we had a great day!

Linds with our tickets

The Tigers hit a 2-run homer off this pitch!

Homerun celebration! This man in the cowboy hat gave me a big hug, definitely a highlight 

This is the Kia Tigers taking in a very literal 7th inning stretch. The moment the 6th ended they stormed the field and got their stretch on

This is our friend Kirsten and the adorable little girl sitting in front of us. They were having lots of fun but the girl kept getting yelled at and hit by her mother for interacting with Kirsten. 

Our friend Tia doing The Wave, oh yes, we have The Wave in Korea

Boys having a thunder stick battle in the parking lot

SK Wyverns left fielder soaking in defeat just before the last out

Final Score!

This coming weekend our friend Ben and his boyfriend Miguel are coming down from Seoul to visit for Ben's birthday weekend! So the weekend excitement continues! Thanks for reading everybody!!!