The longest ‘game suspension’ in KBO League history was recorded. It was over 3 hours. After waiting 3 hours and 24 minutes (204 minutes), the game resumed. This is something that can only be seen in the American Major League, where players have to wait a long time due to the long travel distance. 

The second game of the double header between KT and Hanwha held at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon on the 17th. In the bottom of the 5th inning, when KT was ahead 3-1, rain and wind began to hit Hanwha when leadoff hitter Moon Hyun-bin came to bat. 메이저놀이터

Soon heavy rain hit the ground. After KT starter Wes Benjamin threw the 7th ball against Moon Hyun-bin, the umpire called a halt, and players from both teams entered the dugout. Spectators used umbrellas or gathered under the roof of the stands to avoid the rain. 

It rained quite a lot, and the ground was quickly soaked before the large tarp could be laid down. Even after the rain stopped, the ground condition was so bad that it seemed difficult to hold a normal game. The stadium management team expressed its intention that it would be difficult to proceed with the game. 

However, the referee did not decide to cancel. After waiting for the rain to stop, stadium management personnel were brought in and began maintenance of the ground. Maintenance work took longer as the infield became completely muddy. After removing the mud, new soil was laid and the work of consolidating the infield continued. 

The game, which was suspended at 6:33 p.m., was not declared a no-game even after one hour, two hours, and three hours. The game resumed at 9:57 p.m., setting the record for the longest pause in history at 3 hours and 24 minutes (204 minutes). 

This is the longest record in KBO League history. The previous record was 1 hour and 56 minutes, held twice in the Daejeon Samsung-Binggrae match on August 15, 1987, and in the Daejeon KT-Hanwha match on July 23 last year. Until now, the stoppage of a game had never lasted longer than two hours, but on this day, the KT-Hanwha game lasted over three hours. 

In the early days when the game was suspended, the spectators, who had been enjoying themselves by dancing to the songs blaring through the stadium, began to leave one by one as the game did not resume until late in the evening. 

It was difficult for the referee to hastily declare a no game. This is largely due to the schedule being pushed back due to more rainy weather cancellations than any other year. If no game is declared, the schedule will be rescheduled for a later date. In accordance with the principle of not organizing double headers two days in a row, the game on Monday the 18th could not be played as a double header. 

The game situation was also ambiguous. With KT leading 3-1, the home team Hanwha’s attack began in the bottom of the 5th inning. It was unfortunate that the conditions for a rain cold game were not met, and it was a no game for both KT and Hanwha. However, as the stoppage time became too long, the fatigue of the players who played the first game of the double header at 2 PM increased. Even the audience had to wait in vain and lose focus.

KT starting pitcher Benjamin, who went on to the mound in the 5th inning with a 3-1 lead and kept the team scoreless through the 4th inning, missed out on the win as the waiting time was too long. Benjamin, who took the mound after the game resumed, threw two Arirang balls to Moon Hyun-bin, allowing a walk, and was replaced by Son Dong-hyun. 

According to Rule 5, Section 10 of the Baseball Rules, if a pitcher playing in a game crosses the foul line at the beginning of an inning, the pitcher must pitch until the first batter is out or reaches first base. Just before the rain stoppage, Benjamin crossed the foul line, climbed onto the mound, and was engaged in a 7-pitch match with Moon Hyun-bin. In the end, after the restart, Moon Hyun-bin went down the mound only after completing the pitch. To protect himself from injury, he did not overdo it and went down without lightly throwing two Arirang balls. They were measured at curves of 77km and 79km, respectively.