Today we're going to look at the KBO, which I am sure many more people are familiar with after their stint on ESPN to fill time while MLB was not playing for Covid. I think I'd make the argument that this is the second most successful foreign league (behind NPB). If you really got into the KBO during that time and miss it, they've actually made their games available for free (in the US and Europe, anyway) at Naver TV. Also a good option if you're just fed up with MLB, which I can totally relate. The KBO goes back to 1982 and opened with six teams. They are currently up to ten teams, and as far as I can tell, they've only lost two teams in forty years. That's a pretty remarkable record for stability. Like NPB (and possibly other leagues), there is a cap for foreign players. It was two from 1998 to 2014, and it's been at three ever since. Only two of those three can be pitchers. So it is definitely common to see names you know on these teams, but certainly not enough to make it feel like it isn't Korean. And here are the teams! Doosan BearsFrom: Seoul Founded: 1982 Stadium: Jamsil Stadium Opened: 1982 Capacity: 25,000 Championships: 6 (1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, 2019) Hanwha EaglesFrom: Daejeon Founded: 1985 Stadium: Daejeon Hanbat Stadium Opened: 1963 Capacity: 13,000 Championships: 1 (1999) Kia TigersFrom: Gwangju Founded: 1982 Stadium: Gwangju-Kia Champions Field Opened: 2014 Capacity: 20,500 Championships: 11 (1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2017) Kiwoom HeroesFrom: Seoul Founded: 2008 Stadium: Gocheok Sky Dome Opened: 2015 Capacity: 16,744 Championships: 0 KT WizFrom: Suwon Founded: 2015 Stadium: Suwon Stadium Opened: 1989 Capacity: 20,000 Championships: 1 (2021) LG TwinsFrom: Seoul Founded: 1982 Stadium: Jamsil Stadium Opened: 1982 Capacity: 25,000 Championships: 2 (1990, 1994) Lotte GiantsFrom: Busan Founded: 1975 Stadium: Sajik Stadium Opened: 1985 Capacity: 24,500 Championships: 2 (1984, 1992) NC DinosFrom: Changwon Founded: 2011 Stadium: Changwon NC Park Opened: 2019 Capacity: 22,112 Championships: 1 (2020) Samsung LionsFrom: Daegu Founded: 1982 Stadium: Daegu Samsung Lions Park Opened: 2016 Capacity: 24,000 Championships: 8 (1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) SSG LandersFrom: Incheon
Founded: 2000 Stadium: Incheon SSG Landers Field Opened: 2002 Capacity: 23,000 Championships: 4 (2007, 2008, 2010, 2018) Comments are closed.
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