By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
Baseball fans might not have to worry about dealing with the transportation curfew after games next season.
That’s the possible outcome if the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) managers get their wish and the extra-inning rule of playing out to the end to decide a winner regardless of time is scrapped.
Eight headmen ― accompanied by KBO commissioner Shin Sang-woo ― held a meeting in Seoul Monday and made clear they want the system that was controversially introduced last season banned.
``Most have agreed to change the rule in the meeting,’’ LG Twins manager Kim Jae-park said.
``Other than the Lotte Giants, all seven teams want to discontinue it,’’ Giants assistant coach Park Young-tae, who participated in the place of American boss Jerry Royster, who is currently in the United States.
Among the 540 games in 2008, just two games were played until the early hours of the next day ― a Heroes-Kia Tigers match that began at 6:32 p.m. on June 12 and ended at 12:49 a.m., and a Doosan Bears-Hanwha Eagles encounter that started at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 3 and was over at 12:24 a.m. The two games lasted 14 and 18 innings, respectively.
Until 2007, a league rule prevented a game from continuing after 10:30 p.m.― or after the 15th inning.
As an alternative, they proposed a tiebreaker, a practice used at the Beijing Olympics in August.
The tiebreaking method sees base runners placed on first and second, with no outs, to start the 11th inning in a bid to avoid drawn-out extra-inning games.
In addition, managers have the option of starting the 11th inning anywhere in the batting order, as long as the previous two batters are the assigned base runners.
They have also agreed to use the method in next year’s exhibitioners and All Star Game.
Before introducing the rule for the 2008 season, seven-team bosses ― with the exception of Royster ― were in opposition, citing fears the Korean league would not be able to cope because of a lack of depth in player pools and if too many injuries were incurred.
They were also worried that the change would degrade the league because of the gulf in class between first and second teams.
In the U.S. Major Leagues, the National League (NL) has no curfew, while the American League (AL) suspends a tied-game after 1 a.m. and continues the following day.
The Japanese league, meanwhile, can continue no longer than the 12th inning in both the Central and Pacific Leagues.