411.9mm of the heaviest rain in history, Gwangju's aftermath, will it be possible to start the KIANC match...Another heavy rain warning on the afternoon of the 18th

Jul 18, 2025

Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 18th. Ground maintenance officials are covering the ground with dirt. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Min-kyung

Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 18th. The ground state where the shoe marks remain. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Min-kyung

Gwangju, where the home stadium of the KIA Tigers is located, is suffering from all-time heavy rain damage.

According to the Gwangju Regional Meteorological Administration, the cumulative precipitation in Gwangju was 411.9 mm as of 9 p.m. on the 17th. It is the highest daily precipitation ever recorded in Gwangju.

Gwangju Kia Champions Field was also affected by heavy rain the previous day. The ground managers started managing the wet ground by covering it with soil early on, but the ground is so damp that the footprints remain as they are when they step on it.

Fortunately, the floor of the dugout, where rainwater hit the previous day, is almost dry. As explaining the situation the previous day, there are traces of the dugout floor covered with muddy water.

It is unclear whether the KIA Tigers and the NC Dinos will be able to play their first game in the second half of the 18th. KIA players, who started training early before the game, continued to step on the ground to check their condition.

NC was training at the stadium the previous day and was unable to return to its accommodation due to too much rain.

Shortly after the game was canceled due to rain the previous day, NC manager Lee Ho-joon said "The water overflowed in front of the hotel, so the entire team was contacted not to come into the hotel." It's right next door, and I was told not to move the car. The water was submerged under the overpass, so the car was floating around, he was embarrassed, explaining.

The dugout at Gwangju Champions Field, where rainwater hit on the 17th. The floor is almost dry now. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Min-kyung

Gwangju Kia Champions Field dugout on the 18th. Gwangju = Reporter Kim Min-kyung

The NC team carefully headed to their accommodation, judging that it was too much to wait for the rain to stop at the stadium. It is rumored that it took about an hour to travel by car in 10 to 20 minutes.

Since the morning, the rain has stopped and the ground has been maintained, but it seems difficult to quickly decide to start the game. There is another rain forecast after 4 o'clock on the 18th. The Korea Meteorological Administration expected as much rain as the previous day in Gwangju. For two days until the 19th, 100-200mm of rain was forecast in Gwangju.

Even if the game starts, heavy rain should also be considered during the game. Sinan-dong and Yongbong-dong in Buk-gu, Gwangju, near the stadium, were severely flooded this time. The inconvenience that fans who visit the stadium will cause when they return home should also be considered. Baseball shouldn't be a priority right now.

KIA and NC predicted James Nail and Riley Thompson as starting pitchers on the 18th, respectively. KIA said on the 18th that if the game was canceled due to rain, Nail would take the mound on the 19th, and NC predicted that it may make changes in consideration of Riley and other starters' routines.