By Honorary Reporter Mitchell Blatt from U.S.

Photos=  Mitchell Blatt

I woke up at 3 a.m. today at my temporary home in Colorado and went downstairs to watch baseball for the first time this year. I grabbed my Suwon KT Wiz hat, my favorite K-pop jacket and a beer and tuned to ESPN 2. Though the sun would not rise for another three hours, I had to get into the right mood for Korean baseball.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the savior of sports fans worldwide, is being touted as a potential blueprint for Major League Baseball (MLB) of the U.S. to follow if and when the  latter starts its season this summer.

Since March 12, the coronavirus has prevented any pro sports from being played in the U.S., much less in most of the world. NBA games were canceled before tip-off after players tested positive for COVID-19. The National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball playoffs, known as March Madness, turned into March sadness. Tennis courts are empty, the NFL Draft was held online and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics were delayed until next year.

When I heard that ESPN, my country's flagship sports network, would broadcast KBO games from May 5, I was ecstatic. Not only because I'm starved for sports but because I love the way baseball is played in Korea. Players have a certain swagger in the way they frequently swing for the fences and flip their bats after hitting home runs. Fans display crazy enthusiasm in the games, chanting, singing and banging thundersticks.

The first Korean baseball game I ever attended was between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins in Seoul in 2016, and the second game of ESPN's KBO telecasts was also between both teams. I was amazed by the intensity at the baseball stadium I went to four years ago. Outside, countless vendors were selling fried chicken, dried squid, gimbap (seafood roll), meal boxes, ramyeon (instant noodles) and large plastic bottles of beer that fans could bring inside the stadium.

Inside, the atmosphere was electric. Each batter who came up to the plate had a song, and cheerleading squads on both sides pumped up the crowd. When Bears first baseman Nick Evans, who once played in MLB, was at bat, the fans sang a song to the tune of 2NE1's "Fire"; one of the lyrics was "Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Ye-beon-seu!" The lyrics to an energetic K-pop song was modified to root for the team's power hitter.

The Doosan-LG rivalry is one of the fiercest in Korean baseball. The two teams share the same home stadium and are frequent contenders to make the Korean Series. Doosan won the title last year for six overall, making it the league's third most successful club. LG since 2013 has won two titles and made the semi-finals three times, but struggles to get over the hump. A Twins fan told me that the rivalry was like the one between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, with Doosan comparable to the Yankees. Others have likened it to the Yankees-Mets rivalry since they play in the same city.

ESPN commentators did a good job explaining the Korean league to fans, as they invited former players and observers for interviews. Among those interviewed was former Bears pitcher and 2019 KBO MVP Josh Lindblom, who talked about living and playing in Korea. Having returned to the U.S. after last season to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers, he agreed that the Doosan-LG rivalry was akin to that between the Yankees and Red Sox.

Watching a Korean game on TV still wasn't quite the same as being there in person. The KBO started its season with no spectators at the stadiums, but cheerleaders still danced and drummers made noise there.

I'm not sure if I'll wake up bright and sharp every morning to watch the games. Maybe I'll instead stay up late to catch a game at 1 a.m. on weekends. But I'm sure glad that baseball is back. If I visit Korea this summer, I hope I can join my fellow Bears fans in chanting "Doosan is the best!" at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.