Nat Locke: My most memorable activity in South Korea was the one I least expected

This week, I have another tale from my travels to South Korea. It’s safe to say I had a cracking time there and one of my most memorable activities was to take in a baseball game.

A baseball game? Yes, a baseball game.

Now, this wasn’t my first baseball rodeo. I saw the Yankees play at Yankee Stadium in New York years ago, and it was an incredible experience. But nothing — and I mean NOTHING — prepared me for a Korean baseball game.

All I’d been told was that it’s lots of fun. And I happen to like fun, so that was enough to pique my interest.

The approach to the stadium was pretty much as you’d expect. Fans dressed in the team colours throng around the entrances. There’s a general buzz of excitement and anticipation in the air. At this point, I felt like it could have been a sporting match anywhere in the world.

Then I started to notice that a large proportion of the crowd were young women. There were plenty of guys too, but it turns out that Korean women really get into baseball. “I wonder why?” I mused to myself. (Yes, I’m foreshadowing.)

Everything seemed completely regular as I found my seat, watched players warming up, went and bought a beer, lost my seat, found it again, and generally enjoyed the prematch build up. So far it was exactly what I was expecting from a baseball game but with better food (seriously, Korean fried chicken is elite).

An incredibly beautiful young woman was introduced to throw the ceremonial first pitch. My Korean guide had no idea who she was, but she would have been very at home in a K-pop band or on a K-drama or advertising Korean beauty products. Just so you have an idea of the gorgeousness of this young lady. She looked like she had been created by AI, except she was a living, breathing human. Also, she didn’t embarrass herself when it came to throwing the first pitch. She nailed it. As someone who once screwed up the coin toss at a soccer game, I was full of admiration.

And then it was “Play Ball” (or the Korean version thereof) and oh my God, I was not prepared for what happened next. Sure, there was a baseball game. But also, there was crowd involvement on a scale that I have never encountered before. I had been warned that there is a bit of singing at Korean baseball games and I pictured the level of the Barmy Army at The Ashes cricket. I did not picture the entire crowd erupting into co-ordinated numbers, complete with synchronised hand gestures.

Now, as an outsider who doesn’t speak the language, it’s a slightly bewildering yet exhilarating experience. When the home team (go Bears!) was batting, the crowd had a different song for every player as he fronted up to the plate to face the pitcher. Cheerleaders and a guy on the mic helped to fuel the fervour but it was impressive that the crowd’s voice rose as one. They knew exactly which song they were supposed to be singing at any one time.

When their team were fielding, the opposition’s supporters took over from the other side of the stadium, so it was like duelling banjos, but on an enormous scale. Think Wharfie Time but sustained for three-and-a-half hours and with more melody and choreography.

Now, luckily for me I spent many of my formative years standing in the blistering heat at Yokine Reserve with a softball glove in hand. On the one hand, this has left me with the legacy of sun-damaged skin, but on the other hand, it gave me a working knowledge of the rules of baseball. So, I understood that when it came to the bottom of the ninth inning, it was the Bears’ last chance to score two more runs to tie the game up. And that’s when the crowd really amped up. The noise was unbelievable.

Ultimately it wasn’t enough, because the Bears went down 4-2. The crowd then politely filed out, put all their rubbish into separated recycling bins and went quietly into the night. On the train ride back to my hotel I was struck by how quiet and subdued everyone was. Maybe they were just exhausted.

It was wild. But also, I could see why the bulk of this crowd were young women. Sport plus singing and dancing? Yes please!