Current season, competition or edition: 2024 KBO League season | |
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1982 |
| First season | 1982 |
| Organising body | Korea Baseball Organization |
| No. of teams | 10 |
| Country | South Korea |
| Most recent champion(s) | Kia Tigers (12th title) (2024) |
| Most titles | Kia Tigers (12 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Korea KBS MBC SBS SPOTV |
| Streaming partner(s) | Korea TVING Outside Korea SOOP |
| Related competitions | KBO Futures League (minor league) |
| Official website | Official website |
The KBO League (Korean: KBO 리그) is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea, contested by ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea.[1] The Kia Tigers are the most successful team, having won 12 of the 43 championships.
In comparison with American Major League Baseball, ESPN reports that the KBO level of play "appears to be somewhere between Double-A and Triple-A, on average, though the best players are more likely to be MLB-quality than your typical Double-A league."[2] Historically, the KBO is known for its vocal and exuberant fan base,[3][4] as well as the widespread practice of bat flips (ppa-dun (Korean: 빠던), a portmanteau of the "first syllables of the words for 'bat' and 'throw'")[5][6] by hitters after stroking what they think will be a home run.[5][6] In the KBO, the bat flipping tradition dates to the 1990s.[6]
- ^ [2017 결산] 프로야구, 역대 최다 840만 관중..국민스포츠 공고 (in Korean). star.mt.co.kr. 21 December 2017. Retrieved 12 February 2017.
- ^ Szymborski, Dan. "How good would Mike Trout be in the KBO? We have the numbers," ESPN (May 13, 2020).
- ^ Kim Young-jin (3 July 2013). "The 'mercenaries'". The Korea Times. Seoul. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2015.
- ^ Roscher, Liz. "A KBO primer: Here's what you need to know to enjoy the return of baseball in South Korea," Yahoo! Sports (May 1, 2020).
- ^ a b Keh, Andrew (2 September 2015). "Bat flipping draws shrugs in South Korea but scorn in America". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 1 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Kimes, Mina (4 October 2016). "The Art of Letting Go: The great Korean bat flip mystery". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.