Korean professional baseball (KBO) is 32 years old and has had a lot of changes this year because a new team, the NC Dinos, who plays in Changwon, has joined the league. Changwon is full of enthusiasm for baseball, and many people go to the baseball games. Yet, a lot of people still hesitate to go to the games because theyare familliar with baseball. So here are a few tips for enjoying baseball games, and understanding scoreboards.
To start, I suggest you take a few things to the ballpark. Sunscreen is important. Watching a baseball game keeps you outdoors for a long time. You can be exposed to harmful UV light. Therefore, you need to protect your skin against the sun by putting on sunscreen every two or three hours. You should also bring a small blanket. Baseball games start at 6:30 PM on weekdays and at 5:30 PM on weekends and holidays. In early spring, you may feel chilly and catch a cold. I recommend you to take a blanket until June. Also, Sunday games start at 2 PM until May 5, and during the summer, weekend and holiday games start at 6 PM due to the heat wave. Lastly, you should bring tissue paper. You should bring tissues because you might spill some drinks and sticky foods on your clothes.
Next are some tips about food and entertainment, which will allow you to have a better time at the ballpark. The food and cheers are the best parts of a ball game. You can eat and drink foods while you watch the game. I think the best foods are fried chicken and beer. You can bring them into the stadium or buy them there. In addition, there are a wide variety of choices: hot dogs, gimbap, tteokbokki, and more. Also, cheering is the real charm of baseball. If you sing your team's fight song and cheer for the players with the cheerleaders, you will redouble your fun. Generally, home team fans sit along the third base line, and away team fans sit along the first base line, so be aware of your seats.
In addition, Masan Stadium has advantages over other stadiums. There are various cheering sections customized for fans, such as a barbecue-zone, a party-zone a section with tables, a dynamic-zone close to ground level, and a skybox providing the most conveniences. Favorite foods are jjokbal, samgyupsal and soju among fans at Masan Stadium. You can also enjoy a lot of foods around the stadium.
Lastly, let's look at the scoreboard. “A” indicates the away team and “B” indicates the home team. A yellow light means the team is at bat. The Scoreboard presents each team's statistics: R = runs, H = hits, E = errors, and B = balls. Baseball usually has four umpires, but it has six during the playoffs: CH = Chief Umpire, I= First Base Umpire, II= Second Base Umpire, III = Third Base Umpire, LF = Left Linesman, and RF = Right Linesman. In addition, S = strikes, B = balls and O = outs. For batting statistics: H = hits, E = errors and FC = fielder’s choice. Also, HR = home runs, RBI = runs batted in, and AVG = batting average. The numbers in square boxes show the position of the fielders. D = designated hitter. The right numbers show the batting order. P = pitcher.

Jung Hwan-su  yabbi0311@naver.com

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