KT Wiz’s mascot, Ddory. (image: KT Wiz)
SEOUL, June 11 (Korea Bizwire) — The 2020 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season continues with a series of crowdless games as the coronavirus outbreak rages on.
With the outbreak showing no signs of abating anytime soon, crowdless games are expected to continue for the time being.
Crowdless stadiums deprive the players of cheers and shouts even if they hit a home run. Baseball fans scrambling to catch a home run ball are nowhere to be seen.
Foul balls make it to the stands more frequently than home run balls, giving fans a better chance to acquire a ball.
Now, a foul ball ends with a ‘thud’ as it touches down on empty chairs. This season, baseball teams are in charge of retrieving all foul balls, which are used again in batting practice.
“We fill up three to five boxes every day. Each box carries 12 balls,” a source from the NC Dinos said.
Some baseball teams have been distributing foul balls to fans watching the games online. SK Wyverns has been giving out foul balls to fans ever since a practice game on May 1, offering them as gifts to those who watched the game on YouTube.
KT Wiz is also holding a special event where the team mascots ‘Vic’ and ‘Ddory’ appear in the stands near first base after the third inning to pick up foul balls.
Each mascot collects around five balls, all of which are signed by the players and are then put into a lottery for fans who participate in an online cheering event.
“We want to make sure that these events help fans interact with their favorite players despite the ongoing crowdless games,” a source from KT Wiz said.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
