Korean baseball: What are the teams and how can you watch the games?

With most professional sports on hiatus as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, fans are looking to get their fill elsewhere.

Fortunately, the Korea Baseball Organisation (KBO) is providing just that - as the 2020 season started earlier this week.

If the return of sports weren’t exciting enough, the good news is the league is planning to play its full 144-game schedule, which means multiple games each week, according to CBS Sports.

"The KBO League is one of the greatest baseball leagues with world-class players and many exciting initiatives," KBO commissioner Un-Chan Chung said in a statement. "During this unprecedented and difficult time, I hope the KBO League can bring consolation to the communities and provide guidelines to the world of sports. I am pleased that the KBO League can be introduced globally and hope this can be an opportunity for the development of our league and the sport."

From how to watch the baseball games to which teams to root for out of the 10 choices, this is what you need to know about KBO.

How is the KBO different from MLB?

As a sport, KBO is nearly identical to MLB on the field.

However, as Bleacher Report noted, there are some differences in how the league is formatting in comparison to the MLB - mainly that there are only 10 teams compared to the MLB’s 30.

For KBO, this means a “more balanced schedule” consisting of “each team facing the other nine teams a total of 16 times over the course of the season”.

Playoffs also vary slightly, with five teams qualifying, as does the inclusion of a “universal hitter” and ties, with games ruled a tie after 12 innings, according to Bleacher Report.

How can you watch KBO games and what time do they air?

With its broadcast schedule nearly empty, ESPN has gotten in on the KBO action and will be broadcasting one game per day during the league’s Tuesday-Sunday schedule.

On your TV, you can watch the games on the ESPN channel.

If you’re looking to stream the sport, you can do so on WatchESPN or KBO’s Twitch channel.

The only downside, however, is you’ll need to wake up quite early to watch the games, as they will be broadcast in the early hours of the morning.

According to ESPN, the games will air at 5.30am ET Tuesdays through Fridays, 4am ET on Saturdays and 1am ET on Sundays.

What are the teams?

Doosan Bears - established in 1982, the Doosan Bears are the KBO’s first established team. They are the reigning champions, and they have made the championship (Korean Series) in six of the past seven seasons and won three.

Lotte Giants - One of the KBO’s six original teams, the Lotte Giants are reportedly the most popular team in the league - “despite having only won two titles since 1982”.

KT Wiz - As the newest team of the league, CBS said that KT Wiz has “done nothing of note since entering the league in 2015“. However, the outlet notes that young players on the team may make for a promising future.

NC Dinos - The NC Dinos have made the playoffs in five of their seven seasons since playing their first season in 2013. As expected, their mascot is a dinosaur.

SK Wyverns - This team looked like it was going to be the best last year only to blow “a seven-game lead in the standings and finish tied with the Doosan Bears,” according to CBS.

LG Twins - According to ESPN, the LG Twins are comparable to “the pre-2004 Boston Red Sox: a team with an incredibly passionate home fan base and superstars who always seems to mess things up in the big moments.” They share a stadium in Seoul with the Bears, but are apparently the more popular team.

Kiwoom Heroes - The team, which boasts a mascot called "Teokdori (Mr Jaw), placed third in the league standings last year.

Samsung Lions - The Samsung Lions have the second-most titles in KBO history, but have not qualified for the playoffs since 2015.

Hanwha Eagles - The Hanwha Eagles were established in 1986, and have only made it to the Korean Series championship once - in 1999. However, ESPN noted that the Eagles fan base is one of the most passionate in the league and that fans “have a reputation for staying the entire game regardless of the score”.

Kia Tigers - According to ESPN, the Kia Tigers are considered the New York Yankees of the KBO. However, despite being the most successful team in KBO history, “their only title of the past decade came in 2017,” CBS noted.

What precautions is the KBO taking against coronavirus?

While the KBO’s season may be proceeding as planned, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been major changes to ensure the safety of players.

As of now, fans are not allowed into the stadiums, which means the games are played without the cheers of an audience.

Players and coaches are required to go through fever screenings before entering the stadium, and umpires, first- and third-base coaches are all required to wear protective masks.

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On the baseball diamond, players are prohibited from high-fiving teammates with bare hands and from chewing tobacco to prevent spitting, according to CBS.

Off the field, the professional baseball players are banned from signing autographs.

While the precautions have allowed the sport to return for now, the outlet does note that “if any member of a team tests positive for the coronavirus at any point of the season, the league will be shut down for at least three weeks”.

You can find this week's lineup here.