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No doubt countless among you were thrilled to learn that ESPN will begin covering Korea’s pro baseball league—the KBO League—with live games beginning this week. Live baseball is back, in Korean league form!
ESPN will air six KBO games per week. Here's the schedule for this week! pic.twitter.com/QB0mb9srDZ
— Jared Diamond (@jareddiamond) May 4, 2020
Sure, those are some odd hours for east coast folks such as myself but I’ll end up watching some of these games, at least for a bit, in an effort to feel mildly normal again.
Here’s a pretty good rundown of the league from CBS Sports. Probably the strangest difference to Korean ball is there are ties—games are called after 12 innings during the regular season. There are 10 teams and they play a 144-game schedule. I am adopting the Kiwoom Heroes based solely on that name. No idea if they’re any good or not, but they shall have my support through the good and the bad, just as they always have.
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Plus, Kiwoom’s domed stadium (pictured above) is kinda wild.
In a photo taken on April 26, 2020, Kiwoom Heroes’ pitcher Jake Brigham attends a training session at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. - Years after giving up on their dreams of Major League stardom, the coronavirus pandemic is offering journeymen US baseball players in South Korea a moment in the spotlight.