Game #3 Another loss and I saw it live

Folks this is fast becoming a Kia Tigers blog but I'm telling ya things are interesting in Tigerville! Tonight was the first home game for the Tigers so I went. I figured I'd get there early and beat the crowd so I left right after work at 4ish. The game didn't start till 6:30. I got into the stadium a little after 5. It was PACKED! I mean I had to sit WAY over in the lousy seats behind the light tower. There were all kinds of performances for opening day. I guess that was the reason there were so many people.

Rick Guttormson pitched his first game. He had a rough first inning but escaped down only one. The rest of the game he was pretty good. Kia was winning 3-1 in the 4th inning when he got into a bit of trouble. Gave up a legitimate run and had a guy on first. Then the opposing player hit a ball that was CLEARLY foul. I mean if that thing was fair it went 1000 meters cuz it was on the foul side of the pole for a good 3 seconds from where I was sitting. The first base ump totally blew the call. He called it a homer and I guess he was older than the home plate ump, (who has veto power in countries that don't defer that power to age), didn't overrule him although I'm sure, like everybody in the building, he saw it was foul. A riot ensued. I have never seen so many bottles and shit thrown onto the field. I don't care who's older than who, get the frigging call right!

And just to show you that I'm not just saying that cuz it cost my team the game, there was another blown call later in the game. SK had guys on 2nd and 3rd and the batter hit a line drive to the SS. He threw it home and the catcher chased the runner back to 3rd. The runner who had been on 2nd was occupying 3rd. So the throw goes to third and the Kia player tags the runner out. BUT the ump calls him safe. Bad call but okay if he's safe that means the other guy's out cuz when two guys occupy the same base the lead runner gets it and the following runner is out. Perhaps to try to make a right with two wrongs??? the ump called them both out. The guy he had just called safe got sent back to the dugout. That pissed me off too although Kia got the next guy out so it didn't make a diff. Still I like a clean game. See what happens when stupid Confucianism is carried too far? It just snowballs out of control.

This was a game that Kia LITERALLY won but they won't get the W. Now if they miss the playoffs by a game or miss first place or something I'll think of THIS game right here. The final was 4-3 but would have been 3-2 without the non-homer being called a homer. Still and all, that happened in the 4th. Kia had 6 at bats, (18 outs), to rectify the situation and they didn't. Doesn't make me feel MUCH better but a little.

But that's not the worst thing that happened. Oh no! I found out my favourite cheerleader is GONE! Not sure if she's with another team or retired. Dammit!

BUT THAT'S not the worst thing that happened! Lee Yong Gyoo, the MVP of the Tigers BROKE his ankle in the game. He was piggybacked off the field. What a blow!

3 games into the season and already things are dismal! UNREAL!

On the good news side Choi Hee Sup got a homer. He also got a really ugly strikeout but overall a good game for him. Han Ki Joo pitched well too. And the guy I've been talking about noticing in preseason, #8 Ahn Chi Hong, who's a rookie, came in for Lee Yong Gyoo and got a hit and made a couple nice catches. I think we'll need him. And while Kia didn't score to make up for that hideous call they didn't give up any runs for the last 5 innings either.

I am going to the game tomorrow I think but I probably won't report on it. But then again, you never know...