Stop rain for 2-3 hours. Who is it for? Let's make a principle. Appeal on the spot. Is it realistically possible?
Jul 22, 2025
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The rain, which had been falling and stopping even before the game, began to fall again shortly after the game began. It was suspended two minutes after the start of the game and resumed 16 minutes later, but it was eventually suspended from rain again during LG's attack in the top of the fourth inning. In the end, the game ended with a stoppage time of 2 hours and 35 minutes. After 155 minutes of waiting, the resumed game ended normally. The game started at 2 p.m. and ended at 8:13 p.m.
The record of the longest-ever rain stoppage was 204 minutes (3 hours 24 minutes) recorded in the match between KT Wiz and Hanwha Eagles in Daejeon on September 17, 2023, and the LG-SSG match on April 19 ranked second all-time.
In fact, such a long rain stoppage often occurs in the KBO League. It is increasingly difficult to predict the weather due to abnormal weather conditions, and Korea is also in an inevitable situation as it often experiences squall heavy rains. There is only one indoor stadium, Gocheok Sky Dome, so difficult things happen more often due to the weather.
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However, on the contrary, there are variables that force a pitcher who threw well to be replaced due to waiting for the rain to stop. Not only pitchers, but also hitters' conditions, hitting sense, and the risk of injury depending on the ground condition after the rain also follow.
So at this All-Star Game head coach's meeting, some coaches said, `Let's make principles for rain breaks.' The intention is to set a time limit or make a decision a little faster so that everyone doesn't wait too long. Currently, there is a basic promise to decide after watching for at least 30 minutes, but after that, the timing of the resumption will be decided by the judges depending on the situation on the site. The on-site game supervisor will decide whether to cancel or start the game.
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The game between Hanwha Eagles and KT Wiz, which was held in Suwon on the 19th, was declared a rain-cold game after being suspended for about 34 minutes due to heavy rain during Hanwha's attack in the top of the sixth inning. It was a lucky win for Hanwha, which was leading by only one point at 6-5.
Given the amount of rain falling and the forecast, the sustainability of the rain was so clear that the decision on the rainfall cold could be made quickly. But in most cases, it is often unclear.
First of all, the weather forecast is often different from the actual situation, so it is an environment where we have to watch the rain trend for a little longer. If you set a decision time unconditionally and start, it will be difficult to keep that time.
On the spot, some directors said "Once you started, you have to do it no matter what even if it rains until the fifth inning."It is argued that ", but this is also not easy in reality. Even before the fifth inning, if the rain falls too hard, the risk of injury to the players increases if the game is pushed ahead.
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It should also take into account practical issues. Currently, the most decisive reason why it takes a long time to resume the game in case of a rain stoppage is 'ground maintenance time'. Once it rains, it takes at least 20 minutes for ground maintenance alone, and more than an hour at the longest. Then, if you get off again, the maintenance time will increase. It is not an exaggeration to say that the maintenance time actually depends on the referee's decision to continue after the suspension of the game, which is also a part that cannot be nailed unconditionally, saying, `We have to pay a few minutes.'
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Although the rainy season is over, it is troublesome for KBO, which has to keep in mind the summer weather and the possibility of heavy rain in autumn these days when it rains a lot in August and September. For now, the reality is that we have no choice but to leave it to the wise judgment of the on-site judges and individual game supervisors.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
