How to get into exciting world of Korean baseball
America’s pastime is also South Korea’s most popular sport, with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) being one of the highest-ranking baseball leagues in the world. Originally brought to Seoul by American missionaries and U.S. military in the late 1800s, baseball in Korea gradually took hold and matured before and after World War II.
It wasn’t until 1982, however, that the KBO was born with six franchisees. The Kia Tigers have been the most successful team in those 42 years, winning the KBO Korean Series championship 11 times.
Four of the 10 current teams have received new stadiums over the last 10 years, bringing increased attendance and a surge in popularity to Korean baseball.
Seoul’s hosting Major League Baseball’s 2024 season opener on Wednesday between two National League West clubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, brings additional excitement. The two-game Seoul Series will be Korea’s first-ever MLB regular-season ballgames.
Shohei Otani’s debut with Los Angeles after his $700 million signing will overshadow the Seoul Series and the venue, however. All eyes of the baseball world will be watching the power hitter and starting pitcher’s return from successful elbow surgery last September, with his 2024 MLB season focused exclusively on designated hitter duties.
The Seoul Series also brings Padres Kim Ha-seong, 2023 National League Gold Glove, back to Gocheok Sky Dome, his home stadium with the KBO Kiwoom Heroes from 2016 to 2020.
The Seoul Series is an early kickstart to the 2024 MLB season, with its opening day on March 28 having all 30 current clubs playing ball.
Anticipating the start of the Korean baseball season on Saturday, let’s look at key similarities and differences between the KBO League and its U.S. counterpart, MLB, and help bring out the “yagu paen, or baseball fan in Korea, in you.”
League and rules
The KBO has 10 teams, all in the same league, unlike the major leagues of the United States, with 30 teams divided into the National League and American League. Each KBO team plays 144 games in the regular season, playing each other 16 times, with weekday games starting at 6:30 p.m., weekends at 2 p.m. Monday is an off-day. MLB is slightly more rigorous at 162 games a season.
The top five teams qualify for the KBO postseason with their win-loss record, starting with a wild-card game between the fifth-place team and the fourth. The winner then plays the next-ranked team in a bestof-five step-ladder playoff system. Eventually, the Playoffs winner gets to face off against the regular season first-place team in a best-of-seven game series.
Rules in the KBO are essentially the same as MLB, including three rules implemented by MLB last year. The pitch clock will make its debut in the KBO 2024 season, following last year’s introduction in the Major Leagues. When the bases are empty, pitchers are required to deliver a pitch within 18 seconds, and with runners on, they have 23 seconds to make their move. The time allotted for players to resume play between batters will be 30 seconds, mirroring the standard set by MLB. The KBO will also ban the infield shift, as did MLB last year, requiring two infielders on each side of second base.
And perhaps most radically, the bases are now bigger, enlarged from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. Larger bases mean safer footing for base runners. But it also creates shorter distances for base running. By reducing the gap between bases, there’s a likelihood of increased instances of infield hits and stolen base attempts.
Fan frenzy
If there’s one unique aspect to attending a Korean baseball game, it’s the atmosphere. Cheering for your team is wired into the experience, even if they’re down eight runs at the top of the ninth. Attending a KBO ballgame is not so much watching a game as it is being part of the fanatic frenzy. Every batter has their own walk-up song and chant, spurred on by at-bat music and the roving cheer captain. A few weeks into the season, you’ll have them memorized and be singing along.
Thundersticks, or “makdae pungseon” — which refers to “hard hitting balloons” — are actually a Korean creation, first appearing at KBO games in 1994.
K-pop-esque cheer squads dance on their reserved stages behind each team’s dugout, essentially turning the infield lower decks into an ear-rattling concert. If you prefer watching the game in peace, seats along the outfield line or upper deck may provide a quieter view but don’t count on it.
Enthusiasts proudly wear throwback jerseys of their favorite players, painting sections of the stands in a swath of color. There’s little animosity, even between rivals, so everyone’s able to support their team with pride.
Affordability
Attending Korean baseball games is fairly inexpensive, with a focus on enhancing the fan experience. Most tickets can be had for under 20,000 won — the cheapest are weekday games, and just walking up to the ticket booth is the best way. Bleacher sections are color-coded with ticket prices, making any language barrier not a problem. Look for, or avoid, the stadium’s special themed sections, like “cheering zone,”” barbecue zone” and “homerun couple zone.”
Five of the 10 KBO teams are based in the Seoul metro area, which ensures fast, efficient subway access right to the stadium to root for your favorite team. Concession stands and convenience stores are plentiful and located right inside the stadium, ensuring you’ll pay everyday prices and not get gouged. Beer, either can or draft, matched with fried chicken, commonly known as “chi-maek,” are mainstays, along with the common Korean snacks.
In contrast, catching an MLB game can be prohibitive, with 2023 averages across the 28 MLB stadiums showing that ticket prices to be in the range of $40 to $50.
Players
Each KBO team is allowed three foreigners on their roster, two of them being pitchers. The maximum annual contract value for overseas players is set at $1 million per season. Along with a 2023-25 period salary cap of roughly $8.8 million per team, excluding rookies and foreign players, these steps are taken to ensure a level playing field among the 10 teams.