{"history":[],"article":{"id":"cfc19b63-801e-4fd9-90e7-3c26263aaf49","title":"KBO League","slug":"kbo-league","content":":::summary\n![KBO League](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/KBO///League.svg)\n**Title:** KBO League \n**Current Season:** 2024 KBO League season \n**Pixels:** 270px \n**Sport:** Baseball \n**Founded:** 1982 \n**Inaugural:** 1982 \n**Organiser:** [Korea Baseball Organization](https://bliptext.com/articles/korea-baseball-organization) \n**Teams:** 10 \n**Country:** South Korea \n**Champion:** [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) (12th title) \n**Champ Season:** [2024](https://bliptext.com/articles/2024-kbo-league-season) \n**Most Successful Club:** [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) (12 titles) \n**Related Comps:** [KBO Futures League](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-futures-league) (minor league) \n**Tv:** Korea** [KBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-broadcasting-system) [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation) [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) [SPOTV](https://bliptext.com/articles/spotv) \n**Streaming:** Korea** [TVING](https://bliptext.com/articles/tving) Outside **Korea** [SOOP](https://bliptext.com/articles/afreecatv) \n**Website:** [Official website](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined) \n:::\n\n# \nThe **KBO League** is the highest level league of [baseball in South Korea](https://bliptext.com/articles/baseball-in-south-korea), contested by ten teams.\nThe KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea.\nThe [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) are the most successful team, having won 12 of the 43 championships.\nIn comparison with American [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball), [ESPN](https://bliptext.com/articles/espn) reports that the KBO level of play \"appears to be somewhere between [Double-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/double-a-baseball) and [Triple-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/triple-a-baseball), on average, though the best players are more likely to be MLB-quality than your typical [Double-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/double-a-baseball) league.\"\nHistorically, the KBO is known for its [vocal and exuberant fan base](https://bliptext.com/articles/baseball-cheering-culture-in-south-korea), as well as the widespread practice of [bat flips](https://bliptext.com/articles/bat-flip) (ppa-dun, a [portmanteau](https://bliptext.com/articles/portmanteau) of the \"first syllables of the words for 'bat' and 'throw'\") by hitters after stroking what they think will be a home run.\nIn the KBO, the bat flipping tradition dates to the 1990s.\n\n# League structure\n\n## Regular season\nSince the 2015 season, each team plays 144 games in the regular season, an increase from 128 games, along with the introduction of the [KT Wiz](https://bliptext.com/articles/kt-wiz) to the league.\nEach team plays every other team 16 times.\nIn general, Korean teams play six games a week, with every Monday off.\n\n## KBO All-Star Game\nIn mid-July of every season, the best players participate in the KBO All-Star Game.\nThe franchises participating are divided into two sets of teams: \"Dream All-Stars\" (Doosan, KT, Lotte, Samsung, and SSG) and \"Nanum All-Stars\" (Kia, Hanwha, LG, NC and Kiwoom).\n\n## Post-season\nThe KBO League's season culminates in its championship series, known as the [KBO Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-korean-series).\nCurrently, the top five teams qualify for the post-season based on win–loss records.\nThe lowest-qualifying teams face off in a step-ladder playoff system, where each winner then faces the next-highest team, culminating in the Korean Series against the top-ranked team.\nAny playoff games ending in an official tie are replayed, thereby raising the possibility of a close series containing more than the scheduled five or seven games.\n\n# Rules\nThe KBO League rules are essentially those of the [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball) (MLB).\nThe [designated hitter](https://bliptext.com/articles/designated-hitter) rule is universal in KBO.\nTraditionally, South Korean professional baseball games have a maximum number of extra innings before a game is declared an official tie.\nThe KBO abolished this limit for the 2008 season, but it was reinstated in 2009, with a 12-inning limit imposed during the regular season, and a 15-inning limit for playoff games.\n\n# History\n\n## Origins\nThe first game was played on March 27, 1982, between the [Samsung Lions](https://bliptext.com/articles/samsung-lions) and the [MBC Chungyong](https://bliptext.com/articles/lg-twins) at [Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/dongdaemun-stadium), [Seoul](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul).\nThen-president [Chun Doo-hwan](https://bliptext.com/articles/chun-doo-hwan) threw out the ceremonial first pitch.\nThe 1982 charter teams of its first season were:\nThe first [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) featured the Bears versus the Lions, with OB winning the championship 4-games-to-1, with a tie.\n\n## The 1980s\nThe [Haitai Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/haitai-tigers) dominated the 1980s, winning the Korean Series five times — in 1983, 1986, and 1987 through 1989.\nThey were led by pitcher [Sun Dong-yol](https://bliptext.com/articles/sun-dong-yol) and infielders [Kim Seong-han](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-seong-han-baseball) and [Han Dae-hwa](https://bliptext.com/articles/han-dae-hwa).\nOther KBO stars whose careers took off in the 1980s were sluggers [Chang Jong-hoon](https://bliptext.com/articles/chang-jong-hoon) and [Lee Man-soo](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-man-soo).\nFrom 1982 to 1988, the regular season was divided into two (a spring season and a fall season), with a first-half pennant winner and a latter-half pennant winner.\nThe two pennant winners then played each other for the [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) championship.\nThe 1982 campaign featured an 80-game (in total) season, which expanded to 100 games from 1983 to 1984.\nRosters for each team were small (sometimes as few as 14 players), and many players in the league both pitched and batted.\n[Bang Soo-won](https://bliptext.com/articles/bang-soo-won) of the [Haitai Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/haitai-tigers) pitched the first no-hitter in Korean professional baseball history, in 1984 against the [Sammi Superstars](https://bliptext.com/articles/sammi-superstars).\nMid-season 1985, the Sammi Superstars were sold and became known as the [Chungbo Pintos](https://bliptext.com/articles/chungbo-pintos), and the full season expanded to 110 games.\nBecause the Samsung Lions won both half-season pennants (with a still single-season record .706 winning percentage), the Lions won the title outright so no [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) was played that year.\nBecause of the lack of a postseason in 1985, the next year saw some major changes, with the adoption of a playoff system, in which the top two teams from each half-season played for the right to get to the Korean Series.\n1986 also saw the OB Bears moving from Daejeon to share [Jamsil Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/jamsil-baseball-stadium) with MBC Chungyong in Seoul.\nA new franchise, the [Binggrae Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles), joined the league, replacing the vacancy in Daejeon made by OB's move, and expanding the league to seven teams.\nFrom 1986 to 1988, the regular season shrank to a total of 108 games.\n1988 saw the Cheongbo Pintos change ownership again, becoming the [Pacific Dolphins](https://bliptext.com/articles/pacific-dolphins).\nIn 1989 the KBO eliminated the two half-season pennants, moving to a single season of 120 games.\n\n## The 1990s\nIn the 1990s the Tigers were again dominant, winning the championship four times in the decade — 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1997.\nThe Tigers were led by hitting-machine [Lee Jong-beom](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-jong-beom) and slugger [Lee Ho-joon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-ho-joon-baseball).\nOther KBO players who starred in the 1990s were Eagles' pitcher [Song Jin-woo](https://bliptext.com/articles/song-jin-woo), who eventually became the all-time KBO leader in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched; slugging catcher [Park Kyung-oan](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-kyung-oan), the first catcher in KBO history to hit 300 home runs; and stolen base king [Jeon Jun-ho](https://bliptext.com/articles/jeon-jun-ho).\nBut probably the most notable hitters to emerge from the 1990s were the Lions' [Lee Seung-yuop](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-seung-yuop) and [Yang Joon-hyuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/yang-joon-hyuk), who between them now hold most of the KBO's career offensive records.\nIn 1990, MBC Chungyong became the [LG Twins](https://bliptext.com/articles/lg-twins) and an eighth franchise was added, the [Ssangbangwool Raiders](https://bliptext.com/articles/ssangbangwool-raiders), who represented the [North Jeolla Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-jeolla-province) region.\nFrom 1991 to 1998, the season increased to 126 games.\nThe Lotte Giants won the Korean Series championship in 1992; the team has not won it since.\nThere was little other change during this period except for a few major sponsors: in 1993 the Binggrae Eagles became the [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles), in 1996 the Pacific Dolphins became the [Hyundai Unicorns](https://bliptext.com/articles/hyundai-unicorns), and in 1999 the OB Bears became the [Doosan Bears](https://bliptext.com/articles/doosan-bears).\nThe 1998 Korean Series was won by the Hyundai Unicorns for the franchise's first championship in 16 years of existence.\n(The team would go on to win the championship in 2000, 2003, and 2004.)\nIn 1999 the season was expanded to 132 games, and the KBO separated into two divisions — the Dream League and the Magic League.\nThe 1999 Dream League consisted of the Doosan Bears, the Lotte Giants, the Haitai Tigers, and the Hyundai Unicorns; the 1999 Magic League consisted of the Hanwha Eagles, the LG Twins, the Samsung Lions, and the Ssangbangwool Raiders.\nThat year the Eagles — in their 14th season — won their franchise's first (and only) Korean Series championship, after 14 years in the KBO.\n\n## The 2000s\nBigger changes were made in 2000 when the Hyundai Unicorns moved from [Incheon](https://bliptext.com/articles/incheon) to [Suwon](https://bliptext.com/articles/suwon), and a new franchise, the [SK Wyverns](https://bliptext.com/articles/sk-wyverns), took their place in [Incheon](https://bliptext.com/articles/incheon).\nThe [Ssangbangwool Raiders](https://bliptext.com/articles/ssangbangwool-raiders) became defunct.\nThe league's two-division structure slightly shifted as well, with SK taking Ssangbangwool's place in the Magic Division, and Lotte and Samsung switching divisions.\nThus, the 2000 Dream League was composed of Doosan, Haitai, Hyundai, and Samsung; while the 2000 Magic League was composed of Hanwha, LG, Lotte, and SK.\nParity ruled the 2000s, with the Unicorns and Lions each winning three titles, and the upstart Wyverns winning two.\nThe hard-luck Doosan Bears appeared in the Korean Series five times in the decade but only won it once, in 2001.\nStars who emerged in the 2000s include all-time KBO hit king [Park Yong-taik](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-yong-taik), the Giants' first-baseman [Dae-ho Lee](https://bliptext.com/articles/dae-ho-lee), and the Eagles' first-baseman [Kim Tae-kyun](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-tae-kyun-baseball-born-1982).\nOther notable players from the era include slugging third-basemen [Lee Bum-ho](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-bum-ho) and [Choi Jeong](https://bliptext.com/articles/choi-jeong), the Bears' designated hitter [Hong Sung-heon](https://bliptext.com/articles/hong-sung-heon), and the Twins' long-time outfielder [Lee Byung-kyu](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-byung-kyu).\nIn 2001, the KBO returned to a single-division format.\nThe Haitai Tigers became the [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers).\nFrom 2000 to 2012, the length of the regular season fluctuated between 126 and 133 games.\nDespite its string of championships in the early 2000s, the Hyundai Unicorns franchise was disbanded in 2008.\nIt was re-founded as the [Woori Heroes](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-heroes) and moved to [Mok-dong](https://bliptext.com/articles/mok-dong) in Seoul.\nIn 2010, the team's naming rights were sold to [Nexen Tire](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-tire) and the team was renamed the [Nexen Heroes](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-heroes) until the end of the 2018 season, when its naming rights were sold to [Kiwoom Securities](https://bliptext.com/articles/kiwoom-securities).\n\n## The 2010s\nThe Samsung Lions were a powerful team in the 2010s, winning the championship four times during six straight appearances in the Korean Series (from 2010 to 2015).\nThe Doosan Bears were also a powerhouse, appearing in the Korean Series six times in the decade (including five straight appearances from 2015 to 2019), winning it three times.\nExpansion resumed in the 2010s, with the addition of the [NC Dinos](https://bliptext.com/articles/nc-dinos), located in [Changwon](https://bliptext.com/articles/changwon), which joined the league in 2013.\nIt is the first team located in Changwon, the city having previously been the second home of the nearby Lotte Giants.\nThe KBO played 128-game seasons in 2013–2014.\nIn 2015, the [KT Wiz](https://bliptext.com/articles/kt-wiz) became the league's tenth franchise.\nThey play their home games in Suwon, which had not had a team since the Hyundai Unicorns' disbandment.\nSince 2015 the KBO has played a 144-game season each year, and has added a fifth team to the playoffs, with the introduction of the Wild Card game.\nIn 2015 the league also increased the active roster size of each team, from 26 to 27 (of those, 25 may play in any one game).\nAfter a number of seasons of inflated offensive production, the KBO introduced a new \"[dejuiced](https://bliptext.com/articles/juiced-ball-theory)\" baseball before the 2019 season.\nThe results showed in a significant decrease in runs per game and home runs per game.\n\n## The 2020s\nThe 2020 season was delayed by the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://bliptext.com/articles/covid-19-pandemic), but finally started play in May 2020, with no fans in attendance.\nIn response to the [lack of live sports programming](https://bliptext.com/articles/impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-sports) due to the pandemic, [ESPN](https://bliptext.com/articles/espn) and the KBO League entered into an agreement to broadcast six games weekly for the 2020 season.\nThe Opening Day game between the NC Dinos and Samsung Lions was broadcast as the first game under the agreement that night.\n[Karl Ravech](https://bliptext.com/articles/karl-ravech), [Jason Benetti](https://bliptext.com/articles/jason-benetti), [Boog Sciambi](https://bliptext.com/articles/boog-sciambi), [Eduardo Perez](https://bliptext.com/articles/eduardo-perez), and [Jessica Mendoza](https://bliptext.com/articles/jessica-mendoza), along with various guests, broadcast the game remotely via Internet from their homes.\nThe deal was for the 2020 season only and was not renewed for 2021.\n\n# Expatriate baseball players in the KBO\nAs with [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball) (NPB), the KBO league places a cap on the number of foreign players allowed on club rosters.\nThe foreign player limit is set at three (no more than two of them being pitchers), increased from two players from 2014.\nForeign players can only sign single-season contracts, and they are restricted by a salary cap.\nSince 2019, the total compensation for a foreign player has been capped at $1 million.\nThe foreign hitters on each team are expected to provide power in the middle of the order, while the foreign pitchers are expected to anchor the starting rotation.\nAs with foreign players in the NPB, many of the most celebrated foreign players came to Korea after not finding success in the [Major Leagues](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball).\nThe KBO first began allowing foreign players in 1998, when each team was allowed to sign up to two imports.\nTraditionally, teams chose one hitter and one pitcher, although there were exceptions.\n(In 2001 and 2002, KBO teams were allowed three foreign-born players, but only two of them could be on the field at the same time.) By 2012, teams were using all their foreign-player allotments on pitchers, and there were no more foreign hitters in the KBO.\nAfter this happened again in 2013, the following season the KBO League raised the foreign-player limit to three for each team, but mandated that at least one foreign player had to be a hitter (again, with only two such players on the field at a time).\nAmerican [Tyrone Woods](https://bliptext.com/articles/tyrone-woods) was the first notable import.\nDebuting with the [Doosan Bears](https://bliptext.com/articles/doosan-bears) in 1998, Woods was the first foreign player to hit a home run (as well as the first to be ejected from a game by an umpire).\nIn his first year Woods set a then-KBO record with 42 homers and won the [MVP](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-league-most-valuable-player-award) award (becoming the first foreign player to win the award).\nIn five years in Korea, Woods hit 174 homers, drove in 510 runs, and batted .294.\n(He later found additional success in [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball).) Woods left Korea with the longest career of any foreign player in KBO history, a record later eclipsed by hitter [Jay Davis](https://bliptext.com/articles/jay-davis) and pitcher [Dustin Nippert](https://bliptext.com/articles/dustin-nippert).\nDavis played seven seasons for [Hanwha](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) (1999–2002, 2004–2006), compiling a .313 batting average, 167 home runs, and 591 RBI during that span.\nForeign pitchers with extended careers in the KBO include [Dustin Nippert](https://bliptext.com/articles/dustin-nippert), who compiled a win–loss record of 102–51 and 1,082 strikeouts in eight seasons (a foreign player record); and [Danny Rios](https://bliptext.com/articles/danny-rios), who in six seasons was 90–59 with 807 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.01, which is the lowest career ERA of any foreign pitcher in the KBO.\n[Josh Lindblom](https://bliptext.com/articles/josh-lindblom) pitched in the KBO for five seasons, compiling a 63–34 record and 750 strikeouts.\nRios was given the 2008 [KBO League Most Valuable Player Award](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-league-most-valuable-player-award), Nippert was KBO MVP in 2016, and Lindblom won the award in 2019.\nAmerican [Jerry Royster](https://bliptext.com/articles/jerry-royster) was the first-ever non-Korean to take the helm of one of South Korea's professional baseball clubs when he was signed as manager of the Lotte Giants in 2007.\n(Royster served as the Giants' manager through the 2010 season.)\nOver the league's history, more than 200 Americans have played in the KBO; other countries which have produced many current and former KBO players include the [Dominican Republic](https://bliptext.com/articles/dominican-republic) (with more than 80 players), and [Venezuela](https://bliptext.com/articles/venezuela) (with more than 20 players).\n\n# KBO players in Japan and the U.S.\nSeveral KBO players have had successful careers in Japan's [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball) (NPB).\n[Baek In-chun](https://bliptext.com/articles/baek-in-chun) played professionally in Japan from 1963 to 1981, compiling 209 home runs, 776 RBI, and 1,831 hits in the NPB.\n(He returned to Korea for his final three seasons as a player.) [Lee Seung-yuop](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-seung-yuop), who holds the KBO records for career home runs, runs scored, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and OPS, also played eight seasons in the NPB, accumulating an additional 159 home runs and 439 RBI.\nOther KBO hitters who had some success in the NPB include [Kim Tae-kyun](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-tae-kyun-baseball-born-1982) and [Dae-ho Lee](https://bliptext.com/articles/dae-ho-lee).\nKorean pitchers who have had an impact in the NPB include [Sun Dong-yol](https://bliptext.com/articles/sun-dong-yol), [Lim Chang-yong](https://bliptext.com/articles/lim-chang-yong), and [Seung-hwan Oh](https://bliptext.com/articles/seung-hwan-oh) (who led the NPB in saves in both 2014 and 2015).\nSeveral Korean players have also successfully transitioned from the KBO to American [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball), starting in 1994 with pitcher [Chan Ho Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/chan-ho-park).\n(Prior to Park, the South Korea-born Mexican pitcher [Ernesto Carlos](https://bliptext.com/articles/ernesto-carlos) [born as [Lee Won-Kuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-won-kuk)] was signed to an [American minor league](https://bliptext.com/articles/minor-league-baseball) contract with the [San Francisco Giants](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco-giants)' organization in 1968 after having found success in the NPB. Similarly, pitcher [Park Chul-soon](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-chul-soon) signed a minor league deal with the [Milwaukee Brewers](https://bliptext.com/articles/milwaukee-brewers) organization in 1980. Neither [Ernesto Carlos](https://bliptext.com/articles/ernesto-carlos) nor [Park Chul-soon](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-chul-soon), however, made it to the Major Leagues.) Other Korean born players who have had lengthy MLB careers include outfielder [Shin-Soo Choo](https://bliptext.com/articles/shin-soo-choo) and pitcher [Byung-hyun Kim](https://bliptext.com/articles/byung-hyun-kim).\nIn 2013, [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) ace [Hyun-jin Ryu](https://bliptext.com/articles/hyun-jin-ryu) became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team through the [posting system](https://bliptext.com/articles/posting-system-kbo).\nAltogether, 28 South Korean players have made it to the MLB as of 2024.\n\n# Teams\n\n# Broadcasters\nIn South Korea, most of the games are aired [free-to-air](https://bliptext.com/articles/free-to-air) on [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation), [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) and [KBS2](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-broadcasting-system), and at pay television on [KBS N Sports](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbs-n), [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation) Sports+, [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) Sports and [SPOTV1/2](https://bliptext.com/articles/spotv).\nBetween 2021 and 2023, SPOTV broadcast selected games in the [ASEAN](https://bliptext.com/articles/asean) region.\nIn 2024, streaming platform [TVING](https://bliptext.com/articles/tving) became the exclusive home of the KBO League, marking the end of the league's free online broadcast era in South Korea.\nIn June that same year, free streaming service [SOOP](https://bliptext.com/articles/afreecatv) acquired the rights to broadcast all KBO games outside of South Korea through the 2026 season.\n\n# Ballparks\nIn addition to these ballparks, the [Lotte Giants](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotte-giants) play some games at [Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulsan-munsu-baseball-stadium), the [Samsung Lions](https://bliptext.com/articles/samsung-lions) at [Pohang Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/pohang-baseball-stadium) and the [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) at [Cheongju Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/cheongju-baseball-stadium).\n\n# Attendance figures\nIn the [2016 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2016-kbo-league-season), a new national record was set with more than 8 million spectators.\nThere was a big increase of 1 million compared to the previous season.\nThe record was broken again in the [2017 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2017-kbo-league-season) with over 8.4 million fans at the regular season games.\nThe Bears, Twins, Giants and Tigers all attracted over 1 million fans, and the average game attendance was above 11,600 fans.\nThis increase in popularity has been accompanied by the building of larger and more modern ballparks to further enhance the fan experience and their expenditures during games, such as [Gwangju-Kia Champions Field](https://bliptext.com/articles/gwangju-kia-champions-field) (2014), [Gocheok Sky Dome](https://bliptext.com/articles/gocheok-sky-dome) (2016), [Daegu Samsung Lions Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/daegu-samsung-lions-park) (2016), and [Changwon NC Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/changwon-nc-park) (2019).\nThe KBO League has a big number of female fans; the [2024 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2024-kbo-league-season) data has shown that approximately 54% of ticket holders were female, and most of them were in their 20s.\n\n# Associations\nKBO League players and coaches have formed a number of associations:\n\n# Post-season\n\n## Korean Series champions\n\n## Postseason results\n\n# Awards\n\n# Records\n\n## Batting\n

\n\n## Pitching\n

\n\n### No-hitters\nSources:","current_revision":null,"created_by":"kACnuQmH5k9Nr5VNVEpVeg7XpvUmMctD","created_at":"2025-01-25T21:14:37.680Z","updated_at":"2025-01-25T21:14:37.680Z","search_vector":"'kbo':1 'leagu':2","search_content":" \n \n**Title:** KBO League \n**Current Season:** 2024 KBO League season \n**Pixels:** 270px \n**Sport:** Baseball \n**Founded:** 1982 \n**Inaugural:** 1982 \n**Organiser:** [Korea Baseball Organization](https://bliptext.com/articles/korea-baseball-organization) \n**Teams:** 10 \n**Country:** South Korea \n**Champion:** [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) (12th title) \n**Champ Season:** [2024](https://bliptext.com/articles/2024-kbo-league-season) \n**Most Successful Club:** [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) (12 titles) \n**Related Comps:** [KBO Futures League](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-futures-league) (minor league) \n**Tv:** Korea** [KBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-broadcasting-system) [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation) [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) [SPOTV](https://bliptext.com/articles/spotv) \n**Streaming:** Korea** [TVING](https://bliptext.com/articles/tving) Outside **Korea** [SOOP](https://bliptext.com/articles/afreecatv) \n**Website:** [Official website](https://bliptext.com/articles/undefined) \n \n\n# \nThe **KBO League** is the highest level league of [baseball in South Korea](https://bliptext.com/articles/baseball-in-south-korea), contested by ten teams.\nThe KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea.\nThe [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers) are the most successful team, having won 12 of the 43 championships.\nIn comparison with American [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball), [ESPN](https://bliptext.com/articles/espn) reports that the KBO level of play \"appears to be somewhere between [Double-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/double-a-baseball) and [Triple-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/triple-a-baseball), on average, though the best players are more likely to be MLB-quality than your typical [Double-A](https://bliptext.com/articles/double-a-baseball) league.\"\nHistorically, the KBO is known for its [vocal and exuberant fan base](https://bliptext.com/articles/baseball-cheering-culture-in-south-korea), as well as the widespread practice of [bat flips](https://bliptext.com/articles/bat-flip) (ppa-dun, a [portmanteau](https://bliptext.com/articles/portmanteau) of the \"first syllables of the words for 'bat' and 'throw'\") by hitters after stroking what they think will be a home run.\nIn the KBO, the bat flipping tradition dates to the 1990s.\n\n# League structure\n\n## Regular season\nSince the 2015 season, each team plays 144 games in the regular season, an increase from 128 games, along with the introduction of the [KT Wiz](https://bliptext.com/articles/kt-wiz) to the league.\nEach team plays every other team 16 times.\nIn general, Korean teams play six games a week, with every Monday off.\n\n## KBO All-Star Game\nIn mid-July of every season, the best players participate in the KBO All-Star Game.\nThe franchises participating are divided into two sets of teams: \"Dream All-Stars\" (Doosan, KT, Lotte, Samsung, and SSG) and \"Nanum All-Stars\" (Kia, Hanwha, LG, NC and Kiwoom).\n\n## Post-season\nThe KBO League's season culminates in its championship series, known as the [KBO Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-korean-series).\nCurrently, the top five teams qualify for the post-season based on win–loss records.\nThe lowest-qualifying teams face off in a step-ladder playoff system, where each winner then faces the next-highest team, culminating in the Korean Series against the top-ranked team.\nAny playoff games ending in an official tie are replayed, thereby raising the possibility of a close series containing more than the scheduled five or seven games.\n\n# Rules\nThe KBO League rules are essentially those of the [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball) (MLB).\nThe [designated hitter](https://bliptext.com/articles/designated-hitter) rule is universal in KBO.\nTraditionally, South Korean professional baseball games have a maximum number of extra innings before a game is declared an official tie.\nThe KBO abolished this limit for the 2008 season, but it was reinstated in 2009, with a 12-inning limit imposed during the regular season, and a 15-inning limit for playoff games.\n\n# History\n\n## Origins\nThe first game was played on March 27, 1982, between the [Samsung Lions](https://bliptext.com/articles/samsung-lions) and the [MBC Chungyong](https://bliptext.com/articles/lg-twins) at [Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/dongdaemun-stadium), [Seoul](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul).\nThen-president [Chun Doo-hwan](https://bliptext.com/articles/chun-doo-hwan) threw out the ceremonial first pitch.\nThe 1982 charter teams of its first season were:\nThe first [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) featured the Bears versus the Lions, with OB winning the championship 4-games-to-1, with a tie.\n\n## The 1980s\nThe [Haitai Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/haitai-tigers) dominated the 1980s, winning the Korean Series five times — in 1983, 1986, and 1987 through 1989.\nThey were led by pitcher [Sun Dong-yol](https://bliptext.com/articles/sun-dong-yol) and infielders [Kim Seong-han](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-seong-han-baseball) and [Han Dae-hwa](https://bliptext.com/articles/han-dae-hwa).\nOther KBO stars whose careers took off in the 1980s were sluggers [Chang Jong-hoon](https://bliptext.com/articles/chang-jong-hoon) and [Lee Man-soo](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-man-soo).\nFrom 1982 to 1988, the regular season was divided into two (a spring season and a fall season), with a first-half pennant winner and a latter-half pennant winner.\nThe two pennant winners then played each other for the [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) championship.\nThe 1982 campaign featured an 80-game (in total) season, which expanded to 100 games from 1983 to 1984.\nRosters for each team were small (sometimes as few as 14 players), and many players in the league both pitched and batted.\n[Bang Soo-won](https://bliptext.com/articles/bang-soo-won) of the [Haitai Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/haitai-tigers) pitched the first no-hitter in Korean professional baseball history, in 1984 against the [Sammi Superstars](https://bliptext.com/articles/sammi-superstars).\nMid-season 1985, the Sammi Superstars were sold and became known as the [Chungbo Pintos](https://bliptext.com/articles/chungbo-pintos), and the full season expanded to 110 games.\nBecause the Samsung Lions won both half-season pennants (with a still single-season record .706 winning percentage), the Lions won the title outright so no [Korean Series](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-series) was played that year.\nBecause of the lack of a postseason in 1985, the next year saw some major changes, with the adoption of a playoff system, in which the top two teams from each half-season played for the right to get to the Korean Series.\n1986 also saw the OB Bears moving from Daejeon to share [Jamsil Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/jamsil-baseball-stadium) with MBC Chungyong in Seoul.\nA new franchise, the [Binggrae Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles), joined the league, replacing the vacancy in Daejeon made by OB's move, and expanding the league to seven teams.\nFrom 1986 to 1988, the regular season shrank to a total of 108 games.\n1988 saw the Cheongbo Pintos change ownership again, becoming the [Pacific Dolphins](https://bliptext.com/articles/pacific-dolphins).\nIn 1989 the KBO eliminated the two half-season pennants, moving to a single season of 120 games.\n\n## The 1990s\nIn the 1990s the Tigers were again dominant, winning the championship four times in the decade — 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1997.\nThe Tigers were led by hitting-machine [Lee Jong-beom](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-jong-beom) and slugger [Lee Ho-joon](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-ho-joon-baseball).\nOther KBO players who starred in the 1990s were Eagles' pitcher [Song Jin-woo](https://bliptext.com/articles/song-jin-woo), who eventually became the all-time KBO leader in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched; slugging catcher [Park Kyung-oan](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-kyung-oan), the first catcher in KBO history to hit 300 home runs; and stolen base king [Jeon Jun-ho](https://bliptext.com/articles/jeon-jun-ho).\nBut probably the most notable hitters to emerge from the 1990s were the Lions' [Lee Seung-yuop](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-seung-yuop) and [Yang Joon-hyuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/yang-joon-hyuk), who between them now hold most of the KBO's career offensive records.\nIn 1990, MBC Chungyong became the [LG Twins](https://bliptext.com/articles/lg-twins) and an eighth franchise was added, the [Ssangbangwool Raiders](https://bliptext.com/articles/ssangbangwool-raiders), who represented the [North Jeolla Province](https://bliptext.com/articles/north-jeolla-province) region.\nFrom 1991 to 1998, the season increased to 126 games.\nThe Lotte Giants won the Korean Series championship in 1992; the team has not won it since.\nThere was little other change during this period except for a few major sponsors: in 1993 the Binggrae Eagles became the [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles), in 1996 the Pacific Dolphins became the [Hyundai Unicorns](https://bliptext.com/articles/hyundai-unicorns), and in 1999 the OB Bears became the [Doosan Bears](https://bliptext.com/articles/doosan-bears).\nThe 1998 Korean Series was won by the Hyundai Unicorns for the franchise's first championship in 16 years of existence.\n(The team would go on to win the championship in 2000, 2003, and 2004.)\nIn 1999 the season was expanded to 132 games, and the KBO separated into two divisions — the Dream League and the Magic League.\nThe 1999 Dream League consisted of the Doosan Bears, the Lotte Giants, the Haitai Tigers, and the Hyundai Unicorns; the 1999 Magic League consisted of the Hanwha Eagles, the LG Twins, the Samsung Lions, and the Ssangbangwool Raiders.\nThat year the Eagles — in their 14th season — won their franchise's first (and only) Korean Series championship, after 14 years in the KBO.\n\n## The 2000s\nBigger changes were made in 2000 when the Hyundai Unicorns moved from [Incheon](https://bliptext.com/articles/incheon) to [Suwon](https://bliptext.com/articles/suwon), and a new franchise, the [SK Wyverns](https://bliptext.com/articles/sk-wyverns), took their place in [Incheon](https://bliptext.com/articles/incheon).\nThe [Ssangbangwool Raiders](https://bliptext.com/articles/ssangbangwool-raiders) became defunct.\nThe league's two-division structure slightly shifted as well, with SK taking Ssangbangwool's place in the Magic Division, and Lotte and Samsung switching divisions.\nThus, the 2000 Dream League was composed of Doosan, Haitai, Hyundai, and Samsung; while the 2000 Magic League was composed of Hanwha, LG, Lotte, and SK.\nParity ruled the 2000s, with the Unicorns and Lions each winning three titles, and the upstart Wyverns winning two.\nThe hard-luck Doosan Bears appeared in the Korean Series five times in the decade but only won it once, in 2001.\nStars who emerged in the 2000s include all-time KBO hit king [Park Yong-taik](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-yong-taik), the Giants' first-baseman [Dae-ho Lee](https://bliptext.com/articles/dae-ho-lee), and the Eagles' first-baseman [Kim Tae-kyun](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-tae-kyun-baseball-born-1982).\nOther notable players from the era include slugging third-basemen [Lee Bum-ho](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-bum-ho) and [Choi Jeong](https://bliptext.com/articles/choi-jeong), the Bears' designated hitter [Hong Sung-heon](https://bliptext.com/articles/hong-sung-heon), and the Twins' long-time outfielder [Lee Byung-kyu](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-byung-kyu).\nIn 2001, the KBO returned to a single-division format.\nThe Haitai Tigers became the [Kia Tigers](https://bliptext.com/articles/kia-tigers).\nFrom 2000 to 2012, the length of the regular season fluctuated between 126 and 133 games.\nDespite its string of championships in the early 2000s, the Hyundai Unicorns franchise was disbanded in 2008.\nIt was re-founded as the [Woori Heroes](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-heroes) and moved to [Mok-dong](https://bliptext.com/articles/mok-dong) in Seoul.\nIn 2010, the team's naming rights were sold to [Nexen Tire](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-tire) and the team was renamed the [Nexen Heroes](https://bliptext.com/articles/nexen-heroes) until the end of the 2018 season, when its naming rights were sold to [Kiwoom Securities](https://bliptext.com/articles/kiwoom-securities).\n\n## The 2010s\nThe Samsung Lions were a powerful team in the 2010s, winning the championship four times during six straight appearances in the Korean Series (from 2010 to 2015).\nThe Doosan Bears were also a powerhouse, appearing in the Korean Series six times in the decade (including five straight appearances from 2015 to 2019), winning it three times.\nExpansion resumed in the 2010s, with the addition of the [NC Dinos](https://bliptext.com/articles/nc-dinos), located in [Changwon](https://bliptext.com/articles/changwon), which joined the league in 2013.\nIt is the first team located in Changwon, the city having previously been the second home of the nearby Lotte Giants.\nThe KBO played 128-game seasons in 2013–2014.\nIn 2015, the [KT Wiz](https://bliptext.com/articles/kt-wiz) became the league's tenth franchise.\nThey play their home games in Suwon, which had not had a team since the Hyundai Unicorns' disbandment.\nSince 2015 the KBO has played a 144-game season each year, and has added a fifth team to the playoffs, with the introduction of the Wild Card game.\nIn 2015 the league also increased the active roster size of each team, from 26 to 27 (of those, 25 may play in any one game).\nAfter a number of seasons of inflated offensive production, the KBO introduced a new \"[dejuiced](https://bliptext.com/articles/juiced-ball-theory)\" baseball before the 2019 season.\nThe results showed in a significant decrease in runs per game and home runs per game.\n\n## The 2020s\nThe 2020 season was delayed by the [COVID-19 pandemic](https://bliptext.com/articles/covid-19-pandemic), but finally started play in May 2020, with no fans in attendance.\nIn response to the [lack of live sports programming](https://bliptext.com/articles/impact-of-the-covid-19-pandemic-on-sports) due to the pandemic, [ESPN](https://bliptext.com/articles/espn) and the KBO League entered into an agreement to broadcast six games weekly for the 2020 season.\nThe Opening Day game between the NC Dinos and Samsung Lions was broadcast as the first game under the agreement that night.\n[Karl Ravech](https://bliptext.com/articles/karl-ravech), [Jason Benetti](https://bliptext.com/articles/jason-benetti), [Boog Sciambi](https://bliptext.com/articles/boog-sciambi), [Eduardo Perez](https://bliptext.com/articles/eduardo-perez), and [Jessica Mendoza](https://bliptext.com/articles/jessica-mendoza), along with various guests, broadcast the game remotely via Internet from their homes.\nThe deal was for the 2020 season only and was not renewed for 2021.\n\n# Expatriate baseball players in the KBO\nAs with [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball) (NPB), the KBO league places a cap on the number of foreign players allowed on club rosters.\nThe foreign player limit is set at three (no more than two of them being pitchers), increased from two players from 2014.\nForeign players can only sign single-season contracts, and they are restricted by a salary cap.\nSince 2019, the total compensation for a foreign player has been capped at $1 million.\nThe foreign hitters on each team are expected to provide power in the middle of the order, while the foreign pitchers are expected to anchor the starting rotation.\nAs with foreign players in the NPB, many of the most celebrated foreign players came to Korea after not finding success in the [Major Leagues](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball).\nThe KBO first began allowing foreign players in 1998, when each team was allowed to sign up to two imports.\nTraditionally, teams chose one hitter and one pitcher, although there were exceptions.\n(In 2001 and 2002, KBO teams were allowed three foreign-born players, but only two of them could be on the field at the same time.) By 2012, teams were using all their foreign-player allotments on pitchers, and there were no more foreign hitters in the KBO.\nAfter this happened again in 2013, the following season the KBO League raised the foreign-player limit to three for each team, but mandated that at least one foreign player had to be a hitter (again, with only two such players on the field at a time).\nAmerican [Tyrone Woods](https://bliptext.com/articles/tyrone-woods) was the first notable import.\nDebuting with the [Doosan Bears](https://bliptext.com/articles/doosan-bears) in 1998, Woods was the first foreign player to hit a home run (as well as the first to be ejected from a game by an umpire).\nIn his first year Woods set a then-KBO record with 42 homers and won the [MVP](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-league-most-valuable-player-award) award (becoming the first foreign player to win the award).\nIn five years in Korea, Woods hit 174 homers, drove in 510 runs, and batted .294.\n(He later found additional success in [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball).) Woods left Korea with the longest career of any foreign player in KBO history, a record later eclipsed by hitter [Jay Davis](https://bliptext.com/articles/jay-davis) and pitcher [Dustin Nippert](https://bliptext.com/articles/dustin-nippert).\nDavis played seven seasons for [Hanwha](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) (1999–2002, 2004–2006), compiling a .313 batting average, 167 home runs, and 591 RBI during that span.\nForeign pitchers with extended careers in the KBO include [Dustin Nippert](https://bliptext.com/articles/dustin-nippert), who compiled a win–loss record of 102–51 and 1,082 strikeouts in eight seasons (a foreign player record); and [Danny Rios](https://bliptext.com/articles/danny-rios), who in six seasons was 90–59 with 807 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.01, which is the lowest career ERA of any foreign pitcher in the KBO.\n[Josh Lindblom](https://bliptext.com/articles/josh-lindblom) pitched in the KBO for five seasons, compiling a 63–34 record and 750 strikeouts.\nRios was given the 2008 [KBO League Most Valuable Player Award](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbo-league-most-valuable-player-award), Nippert was KBO MVP in 2016, and Lindblom won the award in 2019.\nAmerican [Jerry Royster](https://bliptext.com/articles/jerry-royster) was the first-ever non-Korean to take the helm of one of South Korea's professional baseball clubs when he was signed as manager of the Lotte Giants in 2007.\n(Royster served as the Giants' manager through the 2010 season.)\nOver the league's history, more than 200 Americans have played in the KBO; other countries which have produced many current and former KBO players include the [Dominican Republic](https://bliptext.com/articles/dominican-republic) (with more than 80 players), and [Venezuela](https://bliptext.com/articles/venezuela) (with more than 20 players).\n\n# KBO players in Japan and the U.S.\nSeveral KBO players have had successful careers in Japan's [Nippon Professional Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/nippon-professional-baseball) (NPB).\n[Baek In-chun](https://bliptext.com/articles/baek-in-chun) played professionally in Japan from 1963 to 1981, compiling 209 home runs, 776 RBI, and 1,831 hits in the NPB.\n(He returned to Korea for his final three seasons as a player.) [Lee Seung-yuop](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-seung-yuop), who holds the KBO records for career home runs, runs scored, RBIs, total bases, slugging percentage and OPS, also played eight seasons in the NPB, accumulating an additional 159 home runs and 439 RBI.\nOther KBO hitters who had some success in the NPB include [Kim Tae-kyun](https://bliptext.com/articles/kim-tae-kyun-baseball-born-1982) and [Dae-ho Lee](https://bliptext.com/articles/dae-ho-lee).\nKorean pitchers who have had an impact in the NPB include [Sun Dong-yol](https://bliptext.com/articles/sun-dong-yol), [Lim Chang-yong](https://bliptext.com/articles/lim-chang-yong), and [Seung-hwan Oh](https://bliptext.com/articles/seung-hwan-oh) (who led the NPB in saves in both 2014 and 2015).\nSeveral Korean players have also successfully transitioned from the KBO to American [Major League Baseball](https://bliptext.com/articles/major-league-baseball), starting in 1994 with pitcher [Chan Ho Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/chan-ho-park).\n(Prior to Park, the South Korea-born Mexican pitcher [Ernesto Carlos](https://bliptext.com/articles/ernesto-carlos) [born as [Lee Won-Kuk](https://bliptext.com/articles/lee-won-kuk)] was signed to an [American minor league](https://bliptext.com/articles/minor-league-baseball) contract with the [San Francisco Giants](https://bliptext.com/articles/san-francisco-giants)' organization in 1968 after having found success in the NPB. Similarly, pitcher [Park Chul-soon](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-chul-soon) signed a minor league deal with the [Milwaukee Brewers](https://bliptext.com/articles/milwaukee-brewers) organization in 1980. Neither [Ernesto Carlos](https://bliptext.com/articles/ernesto-carlos) nor [Park Chul-soon](https://bliptext.com/articles/park-chul-soon), however, made it to the Major Leagues.) Other Korean born players who have had lengthy MLB careers include outfielder [Shin-Soo Choo](https://bliptext.com/articles/shin-soo-choo) and pitcher [Byung-hyun Kim](https://bliptext.com/articles/byung-hyun-kim).\nIn 2013, [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) ace [Hyun-jin Ryu](https://bliptext.com/articles/hyun-jin-ryu) became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team through the [posting system](https://bliptext.com/articles/posting-system-kbo).\nAltogether, 28 South Korean players have made it to the MLB as of 2024.\n\n# Teams\n\n# Broadcasters\nIn South Korea, most of the games are aired [free-to-air](https://bliptext.com/articles/free-to-air) on [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation), [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) and [KBS2](https://bliptext.com/articles/korean-broadcasting-system), and at pay television on [KBS N Sports](https://bliptext.com/articles/kbs-n), [MBC](https://bliptext.com/articles/munhwa-broadcasting-corporation) Sports+, [SBS](https://bliptext.com/articles/seoul-broadcasting-system) Sports and [SPOTV1/2](https://bliptext.com/articles/spotv).\nBetween 2021 and 2023, SPOTV broadcast selected games in the [ASEAN](https://bliptext.com/articles/asean) region.\nIn 2024, streaming platform [TVING](https://bliptext.com/articles/tving) became the exclusive home of the KBO League, marking the end of the league's free online broadcast era in South Korea.\nIn June that same year, free streaming service [SOOP](https://bliptext.com/articles/afreecatv) acquired the rights to broadcast all KBO games outside of South Korea through the 2026 season.\n\n# Ballparks\nIn addition to these ballparks, the [Lotte Giants](https://bliptext.com/articles/lotte-giants) play some games at [Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/ulsan-munsu-baseball-stadium), the [Samsung Lions](https://bliptext.com/articles/samsung-lions) at [Pohang Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/pohang-baseball-stadium) and the [Hanwha Eagles](https://bliptext.com/articles/hanwha-eagles) at [Cheongju Baseball Stadium](https://bliptext.com/articles/cheongju-baseball-stadium).\n\n# Attendance figures\nIn the [2016 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2016-kbo-league-season), a new national record was set with more than 8 million spectators.\nThere was a big increase of 1 million compared to the previous season.\nThe record was broken again in the [2017 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2017-kbo-league-season) with over 8.4 million fans at the regular season games.\nThe Bears, Twins, Giants and Tigers all attracted over 1 million fans, and the average game attendance was above 11,600 fans.\nThis increase in popularity has been accompanied by the building of larger and more modern ballparks to further enhance the fan experience and their expenditures during games, such as [Gwangju-Kia Champions Field](https://bliptext.com/articles/gwangju-kia-champions-field) (2014), [Gocheok Sky Dome](https://bliptext.com/articles/gocheok-sky-dome) (2016), [Daegu Samsung Lions Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/daegu-samsung-lions-park) (2016), and [Changwon NC Park](https://bliptext.com/articles/changwon-nc-park) (2019).\nThe KBO League has a big number of female fans; the [2024 season](https://bliptext.com/articles/2024-kbo-league-season) data has shown that approximately 54% of ticket holders were female, and most of them were in their 20s.\n\n# Associations\nKBO League players and coaches have formed a number of associations:\n\n# Post-season\n\n## Korean Series champions\n\n## Postseason results\n\n# Awards\n\n# Records\n\n## Batting\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n## Pitching\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n### No-hitters\nSources:","revisionCount":0},"hasMore":false,"nextCursor":null}