SOUTH KOREA – Fueled by the rising popularity and interest in baseball, the Seoul city government has announced that the baseball stadium under construction will now be a domed facility. The success of the South Korean national baseball team at recent international tournaments have elevated the status of the sport in the country.

City officials original plan to build a domed stadium was shelved after the projected estimates were deemed too costly. However, after consultations with the leaders of the domestic professional league (Koea Baseball Organization), the decision to go ahead with a fully domed facility was reached.

Although dome stadiums have become almost obsolete in Major League Baseball, an enclosed ballpark is highly suitable in South Korea which experiences an annual monsoon rainy season.

The Koreans surprised the baseball world by capturing the gold medal at last year’s Beijing Olympics, and followed that performance with a silver medal finish at the second World Baseball Classic last month.

KOREAN IRONMAN HITS SIX HOMERS IN THREE DAYS
Korean-Japanese Tomoaki Kanemoto became the first player in Japanese baseball history to hit three consecutive home runs twice in one month. The 41-year-old Hanshin Tigers slugger accomplished the rare feat on both April 8 and 10.

Kanemoto also holds the record for most consecutive games played – 1,442 – and counting. He broke the world record of 903 held by former Baltimore Orioles ironman Cal Ripken, Jr. on April 9, 2006, and has not missed a game since 1999.

Tags: South Korea