It’s a home run for TSN as Canada’s Sports Leader becomes the exclusive English-language Canadian broadcaster of South Korea’s most popular sports league, the KBO League. Beginning Saturday, May 23, TSN platforms deliver ESPN’s live regular season KBO League games. The action continues all the way through the postseason, which begins in October, and culminates with the best-of-seven championship Korean Series. For the complete schedule, visit TSN.ca. In celebration of the return of live baseball to TSN, The Lede has prepared a KBO League “lineup card” fact sheet for new fans to get up to speed:
- Founded in 1982, the KBO League consists of 10 teams:
- Doosan Bears, Kiwoom Heroes, and LG Twins, all based in the South Korean capital of Seoul
- Hanwha Eagles, based in Daejeon
- Kia Tigers, based in Gwangju
- KT Wiz, based in Suwon
- Lotte Giants, based in Busan
- NC Dinos, based in Changwon
- Samsung Lions, based in Daegu
- SK Wyverns, based in Incheon
- Need a way to pick a favourite team? Try this handy guide.
- Music matters: KBO League players walk up to bat to the tune of customized entrance music called cheer songs
- The KBO League regular season consists of 144 games; each team plays every other team 16 times
- The league boasts an intricate playoff structure:
- The Top Five teams qualify for the playoffs, with the first-place team securing an automatic spot in the Korean Series
- The fourth and fifth-place teams kick off the playoffs with a best-of-three series. The fourth-place team begins with a built-in 1-0 series lead.
- The winner then faces the third-place team in a best-of-five series
- The victorious team then battles the second-place team in another best-of-five series
- The winning team takes on the first-place team in the best-of-seven Korean Series
- The league’s defending champs are the Doosan Bears, who swept the Kiwoom Heroes in the 2019 to capture their sixth KBO League title
- Most league titles: Kia Tigers (11); the Tigers have never lost in the Korean Series (11-0)
For all the latest on TSN’s programming, please check TSN.ca for the most up-to-date broadcast schedule.