"Sweat Doesn't Dry," Players Plead... Pro Baseball Halts as Spectators Collapse

[Anchor]

Extreme heat hovering around 40°C (104°F) has blanketed the entire country. Beyond just being hot, the weather is threatening lives, and professional baseball has ultimately come to a halt. Following a series of harrowing accidents where spectators fainted yesterday (August 4), all games scheduled for today and tomorrow have been canceled. This is the first time in history that professional baseball has been completely suspended due to a heatwave.

Our first report comes from reporter Jeon Yeongmin.

[Reporter]

During yesterday's game between SSG and LG in Incheon, players and umpires preparing for the top of the 9th inning turn their gaze toward the stands all at once.

A man in his 20s, identified as A, who was cheering in the first-baseman-side stands, suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed.

After emergency responders performed CPR and even used an automated external defibrillator, Mr. A regained consciousness and was immediately transported to the hospital. Shortly afterward, another man in his 20s, identified as B, collapsed and was also taken to the hospital after recovering consciousness following CPR.

The KBO, which had already canceled five games up until yesterday as players complained of heat-related illness symptoms starting last week, declared a complete suspension of the league after the shocking incident where two spectators lost consciousness.

This marks the first time professional baseball schedules have been suspended since the COVID-19 pandemic five years ago, and the very first time due to a heatwave.

[Koo Ja-wook / Samsung Outfielder: It seemed like the hottest day I've ever experienced while playing baseball, and throughout the game, my sweat wouldn't dry, making it a very tough match. I didn't want to come outside.]


The KBO will hold a meeting tomorrow involving general managers from all 10 clubs and the Players Association to discuss future countermeasures.

Although new operational standards regarding game cancellations and delayed starts under heatwave conditions were newly established and announced just yesterday, the decision was made to re-examine the policy from scratch following consecutive emergency situations.

With it currently impossible to predict when the league will resume, a prolonged heatwave is highly likely to extend the hiatus of professional baseball as well.

Professional soccer has decided to delay this weekend's matches, which were originally scheduled to start at 7:30 PM, by 30 minutes to begin at 8:00 PM.

(Video Editing: Lee Jae-sung)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.