The world is continuing to change in the face of COVID-19 and its impact on all aspects of society. However, baseball fans have finally been granted one element of normalcy with the return of baseball. On Monday, May 4, ESPN announced that it would air opening day games of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and would also consistently air future games. The first live game baseball fans were treated to was the N.C. Dinos beating the Samsung Lions 4-0.

Now that baseball is back, it’s time for American fans to get accustomed to the league’s teams, since it is currently the only form of baseball there is in the world.

The league is comprised of 10 teams: Doosan Bears, NC Dinos, Lotte Giants, Kiwoom Heroes, LG Twins, KIA Tigers, Samsung Lions, Hanwha Eagles, SK Wyverns and KT Wiz. Large corporations such as LG, Samsung, KIA and Doosan own the baseball teams, which is very different than single independent owners seen in Major League Baseball (MLB). 

The season is structured as a 144-game season, with each team playing the other nine 16 times. Since there are fewer teams in the KBO than the MLB, the playoff format is slightly different. The top five teams in the league qualify for the postseason, while the top overall team receives a pass to the Korean Series, which is similar to the World Series. Before the Korean Series can start, the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds play against each other in a best-of-three (similar to MLB Wild Card) series. The winner of this series faces the No. 3 seed, and the winner of that matchup faces the No. 2 seed for a chance to play in the championship series. The regular season ends on November 2, while the postseason is scheduled to start on November 4.

If an occurring game reaches the 12th inning, the game is ruled as a draw and this rule is extended to the 15th inning during the playoffs. The top five teams in terms of Korean Series wins are the following: 

KIA Tigers (11 titles)

Samsung Lions (8 titles)

Doosan Bears (6 titles)

SK Wyverns (4 titles)

Kiwoom Heroes (4 titles, formerly known as Hyundai Unicorns) 

The KIA Tigers, Samsung Lions and Doosan Bears have won 25 of the 38 Championship Series, with the Doosan Tigers being the top team of the past few years. The Tigers have won three titles and finished as runner-up twice in the past five years. The LG Twins and N.C. Dinos have been compared to the New York Mets, while the KIA Tigers are similar to the New York Yankees for having the most titles in the KBO.

Many have labeled Lee Seung-yuop as the greatest player in KBO history for his many accolades. Lee is a five-time MVP and the all-time leader in homeruns, with 467. Song Jin-woo is the all-time leader in both wins and strikeouts, with 210 and 2,048, respectively.

Each KBO team is allowed three foreign-born players on the roster. Na Sung-bum is the only Scott Boras client in the KBO, which may foreshadow his eventual arrival to the MLB. Boras is the biggest sports agent in the world, with his combined negotiated contracts amassing over two billion dollars.

All in all, it’s an exciting time for baseball fans around the world.

Photo Courtesy of Chung Sung-Jun