The president of the Baseball Association explained the controversy over the poor condition of the "SEA Games 2025" baseball field, which required using cloths to absorb standing water on the surface.
The Thai men's baseball team showed excellent form, leading Vietnam by a wide margin with a 16-0 score after just 5 innings. This resulted in a knockout win, so the remaining 4 innings were not played, marking a beautiful start with the first victory for Thailand's baseball team at the SEA Games.
Police Colonel Duangchot Suwancharat, president of the Baseball Association of Thailand, said, “I’m happy that today we defeated the Vietnam national team with a score of 16–0 runs in the 5th inning, resulting in a knockout win. Tomorrow we face the Laos national team, and I hope everyone will send lots of support for the Thai baseball players.”
Additionally, the president of the Baseball Association of Thailand clarified the images showing officials using cloths to soak up water on the baseball field for the SEA Games 2025. They also brought in soil to cover and fix the problem on site before the competition began.
“Regarding the field’s readiness, we have done our best to prepare it as well as possible. As for the controversy about the drainage system requiring the use of sponges, this is normal for baseball fields. The field surface is red clay soil, which does not drain water like grass surfaces that absorb water well or cement surfaces with drainage channels. When red clay meets rain, the water does not drain away. Using sponges and removing water is a standard practice at every baseball venue. Regarding off-field matters or management, we ask for encouragement for the government sector and ask everyone to keep watching and cheering on the Thai athletes.”
For the next match, the Thai national team will face the Laos national team on 6 December 2025 at 14:00 at the Chalerm Phrakiat Somdet Phra Nang Chao Sirikit Queen’s 60th Birthday Anniversary Stadium in Thanyaburi District (Rangsit Khlong 6).
At the 33rd SEA Games, seven countries compete in men's baseball in a round-robin format, with the top two teams advancing to the gold medal final and the third and fourth place teams competing for the bronze medal.