The KBO isn’t the only league suffering from the heat. In neighboring Japan, the summer has been even more intense this year, with an increasing number of players complaining of heat stroke.
Japanese sports media outlets have been running stories about players suffering from heat exhaustion in the recent heat wave. The situation is better for teams that call Tokyo Dome (Yomiuri Giants), Escon Field (Nippon Ham Fighters), Kyocera Dome (Orix Buffaloes), Mizuho PayPay Dome (SoftBank Hawks), Banterin Dome (Junichi Dragons), and other closed or retractable dome stadiums home.
However, there is still a significant number of teams that use fully open outdoor stadiums. The heat is an issue when playing in these stadiums.
Recently, the KBO has also suffered from heat waves. Last week, a game between the LG Twins and Lotte Giants at Ulsan Stadium was declared a “heat cancellation” for the first time in the league’s 43-year history because the geothermal heat from the artificial turf was so severe. A total of three games were canceled over the weekend, putting the heat on high alert.
Nippon Professional Baseball is no exception.
Japan is an archipelago and naturally has high humidity. In the middle of summer, when temperatures reach 35 degrees Celsius, the discomfort index is even higher.
On July 3, at Maebashi Stadium, where NPB games are held on an irregular basis, 메이저사이트 Chunichi pitcher Hideaki Wakui turned pale in the fifth inning and was taken off the mound due to heat stroke symptoms, while Lotte pitcher Kazuya Ojima suddenly became unwell in the middle of his pitch at the Verunadome on July 5 between the Seibu Lions and Chiba Lotte Marines.
The Veruna Dome, Seibu’s home stadium, is technically a dome, but it’s a steamer stadium with no air conditioning, as it’s built on top of an existing outdoor field with pillars and a roof over it.
On July 19, foreign pitcher Andre Jackson of the Yokohama DeNA Baseball Team suffered from dizziness while pitching at the Meiji Jingu Stadium, and was later removed from the mound. Despite the fact that these were all evening games, more and more players are complaining of heat stroke. The Meiji Jingu Stadium, home of the Yakult Swallows, is considered one of the hottest stadiums in the country in the middle of Tokyo’s city center, where the heat island effect is exacerbated.
The NPB is also trying to take measures.
Some teams have established a WBGT (World Baseball Global Temperature) standard, which means they don’t practice outdoors, and are taking care to manage their physical condition before games. They are also taking measures such as handing out ice packs to spectators who visit baseball stadiums in the middle of summer. The Summer Koshien, high school baseball’s premier tournament, also decided to introduce a morning and evening game due to the heat.
However, despite this, the need for more dome stadiums and adjusting game times continues to be a concern. The KBO also needs a clearer solution.