Changwon: The South Korean baseball club NC Dinos will play their next three home games behind closed doors after a piece of aluminum structure fell and injured two fans during Saturday's contest.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced that the Dinos will host the SSG Landers for a three-game series, from Tuesday to Thursday, without fans in the stands. This decision comes as a result of ongoing safety checks at Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon.
During Saturday's game, an aluminum piece of a facade fell off the wall above a concession stand on the third base side at Changwon NC Park. One fan suffered a head injury that required surgery, while another sustained a broken collarbone. The Dinos reported that a third fan, though not physically hurt, was in emotional distress, and they are closely monitoring the person's condition.
Changwon NC Park, which opened in 2019, is the second-newest stadium in the KBO. The incident prompted the KBO to cancel Sunday's game at the stadium between the Dinos and the LG Twins. The league office decided to proceed with the next three games without spectators after discussions with the Dinos and the Landers.
This decision comes at a time when the KBO is enjoying unprecedented popularity. The league set a new single-season attendance record last year with 10.88 million fans and has already seen 24 games sold out just eight days into this season, including seven out of nine games played this weekend.
The Dinos expressed their wishes for the fans' quick and complete recovery from their injuries. "Our employees have been staying with the injured fans at a local hospital, and we have been doing our best to ensure their wellbeing," the Dinos stated. "With fan safety as our priority, we will continue to work with relevant authorities to determine the cause of the incident and prevent any recurrence."
Out of respect for the affected fans, cheering activities were minimized at all four games played on Sunday. The KBO also conducted safety checks at the four stadiums that hosted games on Sunday: Jamsil Baseball Stadium and Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, and Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.