Last month, I had a chance to go to a baseball game between Hanwha and LG at Hanwha Life Insurance Eagles Park. It was such a fun experience that I would love to share it with all of you readers. If you are a fan of baseball, and you want to have a taste of the baseball life atmosphere here in this small city Daejeon, this is the article for you.
Tickets
First, the booking website is not very foreigner-friendly ( unfortunately). However, you can check the time of the games and arrive early to buy tickets. Even if you speak little to no Korean, you still can buy a ticket as the staff will try their best to help you.
With a little help from Papago and the staff members, buying a baseball ticket was a breeze. The price of the ticket was much cheaper than an American baseball game. For a single-seat ticket, the price ranged from 10,000 to 16,000 won. For table seats, it was 35,000 won for up to three people.
Before the Game
Before the game, there was a steady flow of people rushing to the game. Donโt be scared if you see some people trying to sell you chicken before you get into the stadium zone. It is totally fine for you to bring in your own food from outside the stadium. However, you do not need to prepare anything beforehand. You can buy anything you could possibly need in front of the stadium and the pricing is reasonable.
Then, you will go through a security check. The staff will ask you to open your bag so that they can quickly check it. They are just looking for prohibited items such as weapons. Again, bringing your own food and even alcohol is okay.
Inside the Stadium
When I got inside the stadium, I was amazed by the number of food courts around the stadium. Baseball is definitely THE sport in Korea for foodies. There are snacks like fries, grilled squid ( strange but super good), hotdogs, beer, and fried chicken.
Personally, I think the food in the stadium is better than any food I have ever had in my life. At the beginning of the game, there are a lot of food kiosks. But as the game draws to an end, the kiosks run out of food and start closing. At the end of the match, there is certainly no food kiosks open. And so, you must choose your priorities โ the food or the game. I recommend you try all the food at the beginning of the game so that you can sit and eat all your food while watching the end.
During the baseball game, the atmosphere was super fun. There was a cheerleading group and some mascots walking around the stadium. As someone who is Vietnamese, it was a complete novelty. This was an entirely new and exciting experience for me. The only drawback is that the match was at 2 pm, and it was extremely sunny where I was sitting. You should bring a hat or a jacket to cover your head.
Conclusion
When the match concluded, I wanted to get some memorabilia from attending my first sports game in Korea. I bought a Hanhwa team jersey for 40,000 won. I love it! My friend told me that it is one of the most popular teams around and that when he wears his jersey outside he can easily make friends on the street. Baseball is huge in Korea, so it is easy to make new friends if you follow the sport.
Want to experience more sports in Korea? Click Here to learn more about extreme sports such as paragliding and bungee jumping in Gangwan-do.
