SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA – APRIL 21: (EDITORIAL USE ONLY) General view of LG Twins and Doosan Bears preseason game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on April 21, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) open a preseason games Tuesday, with its 10 clubs scheduled to play four games each through April 27. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Tuesday that the 2020 regular season, postponed from its March 28 start date due to the coronavirus outbreak, will begin May 5. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is opening their season on Tuesday and ESPN has announced that six games a week will be broadcast for U.S. audiences.
Baseball fans in the United States may still be waiting for the uncertain return of MLB, but they will be able to watch live baseball games on TV once again starting in the early hours on Tuesday morning when the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) celebrates its Opening Day.
On Monday, ESPN announced that the network had come to an agreement to broadcast the 2020 KBO season in the U.S. The South Korean league will be one of the first professional sports anywhere in the world to return after being delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Opening Day matchup between the NC Dinos and Samsung Lions will be shown on ESPN, Tuesday, May 5, at 1 a.m. ET / Monday, May 4, at 10 p.m. PT.
ESPN will broadcast six live games a week throughout the regular season – mostly on ESPN2 and streaming on ESPN’s app – and the deal also includes broadcast rights for the postseason and the Korea Series championship.
In a statement, the commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization Un-Chan Chung said:
“The KBO League is one of the greatest baseball leagues with world-class players and many exciting initiatives. 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.”
The schedule for games after Opening Day is Tuesdays-Fridays at 5:30 a.m. ET, Saturdays at 4 a.m. ET and Sundays at 1 a.m. ET.
While the timing isn’t ideal for most U.S. fans, the prospect of being able to watch live baseball games on TV once again is a welcome sight and a fun chance to get acquainted with a new corner of the sport.