See you in Busan, Kim Do-young. Gwangju Hanwha KIA match cancels rain for two days

Aug 03, 2025

The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 3rd was canceled by rain. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.02/

The game between the Hanwha Eagles and the KIA Tigers was canceled due to two consecutive days of rain.

Hanwha and KIA were scheduled to play the last game of three consecutive weekend games at Gwangju Kia Champions Field on the 3rd, but it was canceled due to rain from early afternoon. With the rain forecast until late in the evening, a tarpaulin was placed, but the ground was flooded due to heavy rain from early in the evening.

Hanwha and KIA fans showed great interest in big games to the extent that they were expected to sell out early for two consecutive days on the 2nd and 3rd.

Hanwha acquired Son Ah-seop, the league's best school hitter, in a trade with the NC Dinos on the 31st of last month, and KIA registered MVP batter Kim Do-young, who had left due to an injury, in the first-team entry on the 2nd, raising expectations for fans of the two teams.

However, the sky did not understand the hearts of the fans at all. On the 2nd, the ground was completely destroyed by a sudden downpour at around 4:30 p.m., when the away team Hanwha was training. I tried to start the ground maintenance at 7 p.m., but there was no way to deal with it because it rained once more at around 5:30 p.m. Eventually, the rain was canceled.

There was an early forecast of rain on the 3rd. KIA manager Lee Bum-ho originally tried to register Kim Do-young in the first team on the 3rd, but there was rain in the background of calling Kim Do-young to the first team a day earlier on the 2nd.

The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 2nd. Kim Do-young of KIA is doing batting training. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.02/

The match between the KIA Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on the 1st. Ryu Hyun-jin of Hanwha, who lost, is disappointed. Gwangju = Reporter Park Jae-man pjm@sportschosun.com /2025.08.01/

Regarding Kim Do-young's call-up, coach Lee said, `We were ready, but we were waiting for the final test results. There was enough time to raise the intensity after hearing that it was perfect. I heard that the rehabilitation team also prepared everything so that there was no problem with the hamstring. I heard that it could rain tomorrow (3rd), so I asked to use a substitute today. I also thought that joining (Kim) Do-young at home and gathering when the atmosphere itself is a winning streak could be a message to the players that 'Cheer up because they're all together'. If he goes to a pinch-hitter chance at home, he thought (Kim Do-young) would be needed to strengthen his strength when he changed from losing consecutive games to winning consecutive games. So I put it up about a day earlier."

KIA has been on the rise with seven consecutive losses and two consecutive wins recently. While Kim Si-hoon and Han Jae-seung, who were acquired in a trade with NC, played a major role in their second consecutive win, it was expected that Kim Do-young and foreign pitcher Adam Oler would rise further if they joined. For KIA, who wanted to ride the flow, the rain is regrettable.

KIA will play three consecutive games during the week against Lotte Giants in Busan from the 5th. Kim Do-young is expected to play his return match in Busan without greeting his home fans.

Hanwha, the No. 1 player, will also not be happy with the rain. While Hanwha took a day off due to rain on the 2nd, the second-ranked LG Twins won five consecutive games, closely trailing by 0.5 games. LG also lost the opportunity to win 60 games on a first-come, first-served basis. Hanwha has to build more wins quickly, and it will return to Daejeon with only one loss in the away game in Gwangju.