GIMHAE, SOUTH KOREA — Sandong Stadium is not easily accessible by public transportation. The nearest bus station, Sangdongmyeonsamuso, is a 20-minute walk from the venue. It is located in Gimhae, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea, about 15 miles from the big metropolitan city of Busan. The area has a quiet country vibe: Car shops with old rusted signs, open green fields, bumpy roads, and mountains tangled with mist.



If you want to talk to Julio Franco nowadays, you have to drive to Sandong Stadium. When you get close, you reach a tunnel. After going through darkness for about 200 yards, you emerge into the light, greeted by the majestic sight of a baseball field surrounded by mountains.



Sangdong Stadium is home to the Lotte Giants’ affiliate in the Futures League, the Korea Baseball Organization’s equivalent of the minor leagues. It is also where a three-time Major League All-Star and 1991 American League batting champion has his office these days.