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KBO League

Current season, competition or edition: 2019 KBO League season
Sport	Baseball
Founded	1982 1981 (KBO founded)
Founder	Korea Baseball Organization
No. of teams	10
Country	South Korea
Venue(s)	9
Most recent champion(s)	SK Wyverns (4th title)
Most titles	Kia Tigers (11 titles)
Qualification	Asia Series (2005–2013)
TV partner(s)	KBS, MBC, SBS, Sky Sports, SPOTV
Official website	koreabaseball.com

The KBO League (Hangul: KBO 리그),^[1][2] originally called the Korea Baseball Championship (Hangul: 한국야구선수권대회; Romanization: Hanguk Yagu Seonsukkwon Daehoe), is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982, and has expanded to ten franchises.^[3] Nine of the ten franchises are named after the companies or business conglomerates which own them, while one sold their naming rights (Woori Heroes in 2008, Nexen Heroes from 2010 to 2018, and Kiwoom Heroes from 2019).^[4] The KBO League is the most popular sports league in South Korea.^[5]Kia Tigers (formerly Haitai Tigers) are the most successful team, having won 11 out of the 37 championships.

History

The first game was played on March 27, 1982 between Samsung Lions and the MBC Chungyong (now the LG Twins) at Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium, Seoul. Then-president Chun Doo-hwan threw the first pitch.

The inaugural franchises were:

• 
  Haitai Tigers, based in Gwangju
  


• 
  Lotte Giants, based in Busan
  


• 
  MBC Chungyong, based in Seoul
  


• 
  OB Bears, based in Daejeon
  


• 
  Sammi Superstars, based in Incheon
  


• 
  Samsung Lions, based in Daegu
  

In 1985, the Sammi Superstars became known as the Cheongbo Pintos. The next year, 1986, saw some major changes, with the OB Bears moving from Daejeon to share the Seoul's Jamsil Baseball Stadium with MBC Chungyong in Seoul. A new franchise, the Binggrae Eagles, joined to replace vacancy of Daejeon by OB's moving and expanding the league to seven franchises. 1988 saw the Cheongbo Pintos change ownership again, becoming the Pacific Dolphins. In 1990, MBC Chungyong became the LG Twins and an eighth franchise was added, the Ssangbangwool Raiders who represented the Jeollabuk-do region.

There was little change in the 1990s except for a few major sponsors: in 1993 the Binggrae Eagles became the Hanwha Eagles, in 1995 the Pacific Dolphins became the Hyundai Unicorns and the OB Bears in 1999 became the Doosan Bears. Bigger changes were affected in 2000 when the Hyundai Unicorns moved from Incheon to Suwon, and a new franchise, the SK Wyverns took their place in Incheon. The Ssangbangwool Raiders became defunct. In 2001, the Haitai Tigers became the Kia Tigers.

In 2008, the Hyundai Unicorns franchise was disbanded, re-founded as the Woori Heroes and moved to Mok-dong in Seoul. In 2010, the team's naming rights were sold to Nexen Tire and the team was renamed Nexen Heroes, until the end of the 2018 season, when its naming rights were sold to Kiwoom Securities.

Expansion resumed in the 2010s, with the addition of the NC Dinos, located in Changwon, which joined the league in 2013. It is the first team located in Changwon, the city having previously been the second home of the nearby Lotte Giants.

In 2015, the KT Wiz became the league's tenth franchise. They play their home games in Suwon, which had not had a team since the Hyundai Unicorns' disbandment.

The league has recently^[when?] enjoyed a surge in popularity, with increased attendance and player salaries. Several KBO players have also successfully transitioned from the KBO to the Major Leagues, such as Ryu Hyun-Jin, Kang Jung-Ho or Kim Hyun-soo. This increase in popularity has been accompanied by the building of larger and more modern ballparks, such as Gwangju-Kia Champions Field (2014), Gocheok Sky Dome (2016), Daegu Samsung Lions Park (2016), and Changwon Baseball Stadium (2019).

Season structure

Starting with the 2015 season, each team plays 144 games in the regular season, increased from 128 due to the addition of the KT Wiz to the league. Each team plays every other team 16 times.^[6]

KBO All-Star Game

In mid-July of every season, the best players participate in the KBO All-Star Game. The franchises participating are divided into two sets of teams: Dream All-Stars (Doosan, KT, Lotte, Samsung, and SK) and Nanum All-Stars (Kia, Hanwha, LG, NC and Kiwoom). The KBO All-star game does not determine home-field advantage in the KBO Korean Series.

Playoffs

The KBO League's season culminates in its championship series, known as the KBO Korean Series. Currently, the top five teams qualify for the post-season based on win/loss records. The lowest-qualifying teams face off in a step-ladder playoff system, where each winner then faces the next-highest team, culimnating in the Korean Series against the top-ranked team.

• 
  KBO Wild Card Game: 5th place team vs. 4th place team.

4th place advances with one win, 5th place must win twice to advance.

• 
  KBO Semi Playoffs: KBO Wild Card Game Winner vs. 3rd place team

First to three games advances.

• 
  KBO Playoffs: KBO Semi Playoffs Winner vs. 2nd place team

First to three games advances (reduced from four games since 2009).

• 
  KBO Korean Series: KBO Playoffs Winner vs. 1st place team

First to four games wins championship.

Any 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.

Rules

Traditionally, South Korean professional baseball games have a maximum number of extra innings before a game is declared an official tie. The KBO abolished this limit for the 2008 season, however it was reinstated in 2009, with a 12-innings limit imposed during regular season, 15-innings limit for playoff games.^[7]
The league places a cap on the number of foreign players allowed on club rosters. The foreign player limit is set at three, increased from two players from 2014.

All teams use the designated hitter rule.

Teams

Lotte

Samsung

Kia

Hanwha

SK

LG & Doosan

Kiwoom

KT

NC

Notes

Franchise locations

Locations are listed from north to south.

Sponsorship

Ballparks

Doosan Bears / LG Twins	Hanwha Eagles	Kia Tigers	KT Wiz	Lotte Giants
Jamsil Baseball Stadium	Hanwha Life Eagles Park	Gwangju-Kia Champions Field	Suwon kt wiz park	Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium
Capacity: 25,553	Capacity: 13,000	Capacity: 22,244	Capacity: 22,067	Capacity: 26,800
NC Dinos	Kiwoom Heroes	Samsung Lions	SK Wyverns
Changwon NC Park	Gocheok Sky Dome	Daegu Samsung Lions Park	Munhak Baseball Stadium
Capacity: 22,011	Capacity: 16,813	Capacity: 24,000	Capacity: 26,000

In addition to these ballparks, the Lotte Giants play some games at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium, the Samsung Lions at Pohang Baseball Stadium and the Hanwha Eagles at Cheongju Baseball Stadium.






Champions




Main article: Korean Series





































































Club	Champions	Runners-up	Winning seasons	Runners-up seasons
Kia Tigers	11	0	1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2017	—
Samsung Lions	8	10	1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014	1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015
Doosan Bears	5	7	1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016	2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018
SK Wyverns	4	4	2007, 2008, 2010, 2018	2003, 2009, 2011, 2012
Hyundai Unicorns (defunct)	4	2	1998, 2000, 2003, 2004	1994, 1996
LG Twins	2	4	1990, 1994	1983, 1997, 1998, 2002
Lotte Giants	2	3	1984, 1992	1985, 1995, 1999
Hanwha Eagles	1	5	1999	1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2006
Kiwoom Heroes	0	1	—	2014
NC Dinos	0	1	—	2016
Ssangbangwool Raiders (defunct)	0	0	—	—
KT Wiz	0	0	—	—


Postseasons





Legend

• 
  1st – Champions


• 
  2nd – Runners-up


• 
  PO – Playoff loser


• 
  SPO – Semi-playoff loser


• 
  WC – Wild card game loser


• 
   -  – Did not qualify


• 
       – Did not participate


































































































































































































Teams	1982	1983	1984	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Doosan	1st	–	–	PO	PO	–	–	–	–	–	SPO	–	1st	–	–	SPO	PO	2nd
Hanwha				–	–	2nd	2nd	SPO	2nd	2nd	–	PO	–	SPO	–	–	1st	–
Hyundai	–	–	–	–	–	–	PO	–	–	–	–	2nd	–	2nd	–	1st	–	1st
Kia	–	1st	–	1st	1st	1st	1st	PO	1st	PO	1st	SPO	–	1st	1st	–	–	–
Kiwoom
KT
LG	–	2nd	–	–	–	–	–	1st	–	–	PO	1st	PO	–	2nd	2nd	–	PO
Lotte	–	–	1st	–	–	–	–	–	SPO	1st	–	–	2nd	–	–	–	2nd	SPO
NC
Samsung	2nd	–	2nd	2nd	2nd	PO	SPO	2nd	PO	SPO	2nd	–	–	–	PO	PO	PO	PO
SK																		–
Ssangbangwool									–	–	–	–	–	PO	SPO	–	–
Number	2	2	2	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	3	4	4	4	4	5


































































































































































































































Teams	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	Total
Doosan	1st	–	–	PO	2nd	–	2nd	2nd	PO	PO	–	SPO	2nd	–	1st	1st	2nd	2nd	21
Hanwha	SPO	–	–	–	PO	2nd	PO	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	SPO	13
Hyundai	PO	SPO	1st	1st	–	PO	–												10
Kia	–	PO	PO	SPO	–	SPO	–	–	1st	–	SPO	–	–	–	–	WC	1st	WC	21
Kiwoom								–	–	–	–	–	SPO	2nd	SPO	SPO	–	PO	5
KT															–	–	–	–	0
LG	–	2nd	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	PO	PO	–	PO	–	–	12
Lotte	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	SPO	SPO	SPO	PO	PO	–	–	–	–	SPO	–	12
NC													–	SPO	PO	2nd	PO	–	4
Samsung	2nd	1st	SPO	2nd	1st	1st	SPO	PO	–	2nd	1st	1st	1st	1st	2nd	–	–	–	28
SK	–	–	2nd	–	SPO	–	1st	1st	2nd	1st	2nd	2nd	–	–	WC	–	WC	1st	11
Ssangbangwool																			2
Number	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	5	5	5	5	139


Awards






See footnote^[8]and Baseball awards#South Korea


• 
  KBO League MVP Award^[9]


• 
  KBO League Rookie of the Year Award^[10]


• KBO League Golden Glove Award^[11]


• 
  KBO League Korean Series MVP Award^[12]


• KBO League All-Star Game MVP^[13]




Year-end regional tournament























































































































Year	Tournament	Participants	Round	Position	W	L	RS	RA
2005	2005 Asia Series	Samsung Lions	Final	2nd	2	2	17	17
2006	2006 Asia Series	Samsung Lions	Group Stage	3rd	1	2	16	11
2007	2007 Asia Series	SK Wyverns	Final	2nd	3	1	37	10
2008	2008 Asia Series	SK Wyverns	Group Stage	3rd	2	1	23	13
2009	KBO-NPB Club Championship 2009	Kia Tigers		Runner-up	0	1	4	9
2010	KBO-NPB Club Championship 2010	SK Wyverns		Runner-up	0	1	0	3
2010	CPBL-KBO Club Championship 2010			Winner (Shared)	1	1	7	5
2011	2011 Asia Series	Samsung Lions	Final	1st	3	1	21	17
2012	2012 Asia Series	Samsung Lions	Group Stage	3rd	1	1	9	3
		Lotte Giants	Group Stage	4th	1	1	6	6
2013	2013 Asia Series	Samsung Lions	Semifinals	4th	2	1	15	15
Total					16	13	155	109

• 
  - Qualified as host.


See also




• Baseball in South Korea


• Korea Baseball Organization


• KBO Futures League


• List of current KBO League team rosters


• List of KBO Career Hits leaders


• Players from South Korea in Major League Baseball




References






1. 
   ^ "The Korea Baseball Championship is the annual pennant race of first-tier professional baseball league in South Korea." Confirmed by Moon Jung-kyun, Public Relations Manager of Korea Baseball Organization. For further information, refer to the talk page of the Korean version article.
   


2. 
   ^ For the official name of the league, refer to following page: http://baseballinkorea.com/2015/03/01/kbo-brand-identity
   


3. 
   ^ "A Cheerleader Helping to Reinvigorate Pro Baseball". english.chosun.com..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output .citation qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-maintdisplay:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
   


4. 
   ^ "Korea and Baseball". koreatimes. 25 March 2009.
   


5. 
   ^ [2017 결산] 프로야구, 역대 최다 840만 관중..국민스포츠 공고 (in Korean). star.mt.co.kr. December 21, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
   


6. 
   ^ Korea Baseball Organization (2015). 2015 달라지는 점 Archived 2015-04-05 at the Wayback Machine (Korean). Accessed on April 14, 2015.
   


7. 
   ^ Kim Jae-Won (2009-01-13). KBO Abolishes Endless Overtime Rule. The Korea Times. Accessed on 2009-06-11.
   


8. 
   ^ Category:Korea Baseball Organization Awards. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2010-07-02.
   


9. 
   ^ KBO Most Valuable Player Award. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2010-07-02. See also: Chinese Professional Baseball League MVP of the Year Award and Nippon Professional Baseball Most Valuable Player Award.
   


10. 
    ^ KBO Rookie of the Year. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2010-07-02. See also: Chinese Professional Baseball League Rookie of the Year Award and Nippon Professional Baseball Rookie of the Year Award.
    


11. 
    ^ KBO Gold Gloves. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2010-07-02. See also: Nippon Professional Baseball Mitsui Golden Glove Award and Major League Baseball Gold Glove Award.
    


12. 
    ^ Korean Series Most Valuable Player Award. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2010-07-02. See also: Major League Baseball World Series MVP Award.
    


13. 
    ^ For the KBO League All-Star Game MVP, go to KBO Gold Gloves, scroll to the bottom, and click on All-Star Game MVP. Baseball-Reference.com (Sports Reference LLC). Retrieved 2016-10-13.
    








External links







Wikimedia Commons has media related to KBO League.

• KBO League official website