The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees will meet for the first time in 43 years in the World Series (WS), the grand finale of American baseball and the ultimate crowning of a major league champion.
Game 1 will take place this weekend on October 25 at Dodger Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The news of the Dodgers’ return to the World Series after a four-year absence since 2020 has the Korean-American restaurant and sporting goods industry buzzing with excitement.
At Prociety, a sports hat and jersey store in downtown Los Angeles, baseball fans have been flocking to the store to buy LA Dodgers caps. “We’ve been getting a lot of inquiries from customers for LA Dodgers and limited edition hats to commemorate the team’s World Series run,” said Eric Park, owner of Prociety.
“The limited edition hats celebrating the LA Dodgers’ trip to the World Series will be available on October 23,” he said. Prociety is also selling hats with the word ‘Dodgers’ written in Korean. “There are many Korean-American customers who are looking for hats with Korean characters,” Park said, adding, ”We’re having to order more because they’re getting more popular.”
The Korean-American restaurant industry is also rushing to prepare for the World Series. Many baseball fans are expected to head to restaurants and sports pubs to watch the games. Tickets for the games are selling out early and being resold for well over $1,000.
Connor Choi, owner of Chicken N Ember, a sports bar inspired by Nashville hot chicken and smoked chicken, said the Dodgers’ World Series run is “the best news we’ve heard in a long time.”
On October 25, the day of the Dodgers’ Game 1 for the World Series, Chicken N Ember will hold a promotional event to celebrate the Dodgers’ entry into the World Series.
“We will offer a free 16-ounce beer with every chicken menu order on that day,” Choi said. On this day, all of Chicken & Amber’s staff will be wearing Dodgers jerseys to serve customers.
“Big sporting events like the World Series are good news in this recession,” said Hong-yup Jung, owner of Nandarang Restaurant near 6th Street in Koreatown. Nandarang sells a variety of draft beer and food and it has large screens in the restaurant for customers to watch the game while eating.
“Our happy hour is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and the game starts in between,” Jung said, adding, ”I hope many people will come and enjoy the game together.”
Many Korean-Americans are eagerly anticipating the performance of Tommy Hyunsu Edman, who was named the Most Valuable Player (MVP) on October 20. Edman is the first Korean-American player to be named postseason MVP and currently plays as a utility player for the Dodgers.
BY KYEONGJUN KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.kyeongjun1@koreadaily.com]
