NC 다이노스의 창단 첫 코리아시리즈 우승에 함께 기뻐하는 미국 KBO 팬 커뮤니티
The NC Dinos on Tuesday beat the Doosan Bears to win their first ever Korean Series title.
But baseball fans in South Korea weren't the only ones to enjoy the series.
In the U.S. Korean baseball has a growing American fandom.
Our Han Seong-woo has more.
The NC Dinos won their first Korean Series Tuesday night at Gocheok Skydome in Seoul, beating the Doosan Bears 4-to-2 in game six.
The Dinos' closer Won Jong-hyun, who overcame cancer four years ago, struck out the last batter of the night... and then ran to embrace catcher Yang Eui-ji in triumph.
Yang, the team's captain, was named series MVP... and became the first player in KBO history to win that title for two different teams.
"I was so overwhelmed with the happiness of winning the title again that I burst into tears."
Dinos fans in South Korea were ecstatic, but half a world away, so were the Dinos' American fans... who'd tuned in early in the morning on ESPN.
The big game was a treat for baseball fans in the U.S.... where pro sports have been curtailed because of the pandemic.
"Oh man… Yeah again, just waking up this morning and seeing them finish it off… That was great to see… You know, I don’t know if you could start a morning any better than that."
Perhaps happiest are fans of the Durham Bulls, a Triple A minor league team based in North Carolina.
The Bulls and the Dinos share not only the initials NC but also a promotional partnership.
Bulls' front office worker Andrew Green said American baseball fans loved the unique sword ceremony at the end of the game.
"Folks have just been thrilled to see that win. On social media, there was quite the buzz this morning. Tweeting, folks just getting up and being able to watch it on ESPN 2…"
Social media was abuzz with fans congratulating the Dinos on their victory and marveling at the way Yang thrust the blade up high in celebration.
Some even said they'd be fans of the NC Dinos for life.
It's a promising sign that Korea's baseball culture is gaining influence overseas.
Han Seong-woo, Arirang News.
