Baseball in Daejeon, South Korea (Hanwha Eagles)
On this addition of the summer baseball tour, I made my way out to Daejeon to see the Hanwha Eagles. They’re one of the older teams in the league, with a ton of passion and tradition behind them. From Seoul, getting to Daejeon only took about an hour on Korea’s lightning fast KTX train. From what I was able to see in Daejeon, the Hanwha Eagles are the soul of the city. It was another Saturday night and everybody was ready for some baseball.
Before the trip, my expectations were almost non-existent. Because of a forecast calling for heavy rain, I even contemplated cancelling altogether with an impending rain out. Luckily, with my own persistence and nature on my side, I was able to enjoy probably the best game of KBO baseball I’ve seen so far. Here is how an experience is at a Hanwha Eagles game.
The Ballpark
The official name for the venue is the Cheongju Baseball Stadium, but throughout the area it was commonly referred to as Eagles’ Park. It is perhaps the oldest stadium in the KBO, and was once home to the OB Bears, who famously left Daejeon for Seoul and changed their company to Doosan. As a much older park than the others, it’s clear that its layout is different. There aren’t any upperdeck seats behind home plate, and the entire stadium is opened up. In most KBO ballparks, outfield and infield seats have separate entrance gates and walls between the sections. Unless you have tickets in both sections, it’s virtually impossible to explore the entire stadium. This was not the case at a Hanwha game, as there were no walls and anybody could walk anywhere. Security was also surprisingly relaxed about entering seating sections, as I made my way through some of the best areas in the park without anyone stopping me to check my ticket. My seats were in section 118, which was towards the back of the infield and into the outfield. It was within the limits if the main cheering sections, and one of the loudest areas of the stadium.
Whatever this stadium lacked in modern amenities, it more than made up for with charm. It was one of those parks where you could feel all the great memories that have been made in it. Fans have been calling it home for about four decades, and it’s a place where everyone is comfortable to absolutely buts for their team. While it isn’t impressive at a glance, it is one of the best places to catch a Korean Baseball game.
The Food
The food in this ballpark isn’t lacking by any means. Since this venue doesn’t offer any of the huge global brands, besides one Pizza Hut, this is a great place to ditch familiarity and try one of the Korean chains.
Chicken and Beer
There were many different chicken options, as well as mom and pop shops just outside the stadium that were much cheaper. When it comes to chicken, my vote went to BHC Chicken that offered a boneless box topped off with cheese powder. Combining the cheeto-esque chicken with a cold beer was a magical experience. Speaking of beer, if you’re insistent on buying it inside of the stadium, this is one of the better beer ballparks. When it comes to cheap beer in Korea, the best choice is to pick Kloud over Cass or Hite. Here, they had a beer brand named Fitz, which is a subsidiary of Kloud. It’s not a mind-blowing beer by any means, but I could tell that it did taste better than the others. Also, these were some of the best beer prices in the league. A can of beer costed only 2,500 won ($2.20), and a taller cup went for 3,500 won ($3.10). It’s a place where you can order multiple beers easily without breaking the bank, and made the game so much more enjoyable.
Hot Dogs
There weren’t any crazy hot dogs this time, but I was hungry earlier before the game and got myself a couple of Steff dogs as well. One was the classic Steff Hot Dog that was topped with crispy onions, and I also tried their cheese dog for the first time. Again, the Steff Hot Dogs are taste decent, and they aren’t really overpriced for being sold at a baseball game. All of the varieties price between 3,000 and 4,500 won.
What Makes This Park Different
At this point I’ve been to half of the KBO stadiums, and so far this one has some of the most variety of the bunch. It also helps that the entire stadium is opened up for access, so that any fan can see everything that is offered. A lot of traditional Korean snacks were on display. There were concession stands that featured tteobokki, ramen, blood sausage, and dried squid. There was also a stand that offered freshly made stir-fry, which looked delicious, and what really caught my eye was a stand selling oranges and bananas. The Eagle’s Park is really a place that has something for everyone.
The Fans
The atmosphere was amazing; it’s as simple as that. The Hanwha Eagles are a team that has a fan base that is nothing short of all-in behind them. Despite the threat of a rain out, the stadium was still full by the first pitch, and the crowd couldn’t be more active. The cornerstone that started everything was a big family atmosphere behind the team. It’s clear that all of the fans are for the ride together, and nobody is loved more than a fellow Hanwha.
If you’re unaffiliated to any team, expect them to welcome you the family anyway, in the hopes that they can gain another member of the family. As I checked in to my guesthouse, I casually brought it up with the owner that I was in town for the Eagles game. He asked if I was a Hanwha fan, and I said I wasn’t. The next thing he did was upstairs into his closet and grab a jersey that he said I could borrow for the game. So, a big shout out to the owner of the Sky Garden Guesthouse in Daejoen. It blew my mind how nice that was.
As soon as I took my seat, I could hear the fans saying in broken English that I was their friend. When the Eagles where doing well, all of the strangers were instant buddies. A lot of their mid-inning songs involved arms over shoulders of the person next to you and rocking back and forth. With all of the cheap beer, it was a really friendly-type drunk atmosphere, and one of the best in the league. All of the fans even stayed for about ten minutes after the game was long over, just to cheer on the players some more. Daejeon isn’t one of the biggest cities in South Korea, and everybody there loves the Hanwha Eagles. This is the first year in a while they’re having a lot of success and everybody is so excited that it’s happening.
The Game
As fortune would have it, the sky cleared up to give us a gorgeous evening that was perfect for enjoying baseball.
Both teams were talented, and the enthusiasm from the crowd powered up the players to keep going strong throughout the game.So, from a purely sports fan perspective, this was the best game I have seen this season. They were up against the Lotte Giants, who despite not having a great season travel really well and put up a great effort. The Eagles took an early two-run lead in the first inning, but the Giants stormed back and held a 5–2 lead in the eighth inning. This game ended as a thriller, however, as the Eagle put up a late game rally and ended it all with a 3-run walk-off home run to end it all. The place went insane with the walk-off, and it was the end to an exhilarating game.
Final Score
If Korean Baseball is on the schedule, the Hanwha Eagles are one of the best picks in the KBO. Daejeon may be a little bit out of the way from Seoul, but it’s a journey worth making for any sports enthusiast. It’s also conveniently on the same KTX train line to Busan, so stopping by definitely possible. Here, the prices are much cheaper than other teams, and it all goes along with a family atmosphere that keeps you having fun throughout the game. There’s not much more to ask for out of a baseball experience.
