'Second Chance' Independent Baseball Team Gyeonggi League Opens on the 21st

The opening ceremony of the Gyeonggi-do League for independent baseball teams in 2023 was held on the morning of the 21st at Team Up Campus in Gyeonggi Gwangju. Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is taking a commemorative photo with Lee Won-sung, President of the Gyeonggi Sports Council; Lee Young-bong, Member of the Gyeonggi Provincial Assembly; Kim In-sik, Special Advisor to the President of the Korea Baseball Organization; baseball player Kim Byung-hyun; baseball commentator Park Yong-taek; and over 200 independent baseball personnel from Gyeonggi-do.

The 'Independent Baseball Team Gyeonggi League,' the only independent baseball league in Korea, marked its 5th year this year and kicked off the 2023 season on the 21st at Team Up Campus Field 2 in Gwangju City with the opening game between last year's champion Yeoncheon Miracle and the runner-up Seongnam Macpies.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon said at the opening ceremony, "Following the prize money awarded to last year's winning players, we are providing appearance fees for the first time this year, and we also plan to promote exchanges with Japanese independent baseball teams in Gyeonggi Province. We will do our best to support the players and the officials who run the teams despite difficult circumstances. Gyeonggi Province is cheering for you."

He added, "I heard that you will play 155 games throughout the year. I hope you stay injury-free and fully express your passion for baseball while enjoying the games."

Wearing a baseball uniform, Governor Kim moved to the mound with Lee Young-bong, Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, to throw the first pitch and bat, respectively, before watching the opening game from the outdoor stands.

This year, the Independent Baseball Team Gyeonggi League operates with seven teams, including existing teams Yeoncheon Miracle, Seongnam Macpies, Paju Challengers, Goyang Winners, Pocheong Monsters, Gapyeong Whales, and the newly added Suwon Fine Eggs.

Starting with the opening game, matches are held every Tuesday and Friday, with each team playing 42 games, totaling 147 regular-season games.

Afterward, the top three teams are selected, with the 2nd and 3rd place teams competing in a best-of-three series, and the winner facing the 1st place team in a best-of-five series to determine the champion.

Gyeonggi Province, which has supported training allowances, victory bonuses, and manager and coach allowances for independent baseball teams, introduced a new player appearance fee of 80,000 KRW per game this year to reduce players' financial burdens and help them focus on training.

Additionally, exchange games with domestic professional teams' second squads and Japanese independent baseball teams are also being promoted.

Independent baseball teams operate separately from professional leagues.

They mainly provide re-challenge opportunities for players who have not advanced to or have been released from professional leagues, making it a symbolic example of Gyeonggi Province as the 'Capital of Opportunities' in Korea.

The reason the province introduced appearance fees this year is to expand players' opportunities to participate and support their dreams of advancing to professional baseball.

Since launching the Independent Baseball Team Gyeonggi League in April 2019?the first of its kind nationwide?the province has continued its support for five years.

Since its inception, 20 players have successfully entered professional leagues, including Park Chan-hee (Paju Challengers) this year, and Lee Jung-jae (Gapyeong Whales), Han Kyung-bin (Paju Challengers), Shin Je-wang (Paju Challengers), and Oh Se-hoon (Goyang Winners) last year.