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All five KBO opening day games sell out as league's attendance magic continues

Published: 23 Mar. 2025, 15:36 Updated: 23 Mar. 2025, 17:05

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Fans watch a KBO game between the Hanwha Eagles and KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 22. [YONHAP]

The 2025 KBO season began Saturday with all five opening games selling out, suggesting the success of last year's record-breaking season could continue.

Five games on Saturday drew 109,950 spectators across five stadiums, the second-most fans on opening day behind 2019's all-time high of 114,021. Saturday’s number is also the third-highest the KBO has seen on a single game day.

The game between the Samsung Lions and Kiwoom Heroes at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu drew the most fans at 24,000. The Lions grabbed a 13-5 win in front of the massive crowd.

The KBO’s success in attracting a substantial number of fans comes after its attendance-record-breaking season last year, which drew over 10.88 million fans. Last year was the first season the KBO reached the 10-million mark.

Fans even tuned into the KBO preseason action earlier this month, with 321,763 attending 42 preseason games from March 8 to March 18 for a record 7,661 spectators per game.

Five preseason games on March 9 broke a single-day preseason attendance record at 71,288.

More regular season action was due to unfold on Sunday, with all five teams set to return to the stadiums.

This season will see reigning champions Kia Tigers attempting to defend both regular season and Korean Series titles with a reinforced squad that includes former Chicago Cubs slugger Patrick Wisdom on top of Kim Do-yeong, who became the youngest player to join the 30-30 club last season at age 20 with 38 home runs and 40 steals along with 143 runs scored.

The Kia Tigers' Kim Do-yeong in action during a KBO game against the NC Dinos at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju on March 22. [YONHAP]

However, the Tigers will have to spend some time without ace Kim, who suffered a hamstring injury during a 9-2 win over the NC Dinos at home. The Tigers have yet to reveal the exact extent of his injury as of press time, with the team saying Sunday that he would undergo a reexamination of his left hamstring two weeks later.

The Tigers will become the first team to win back-to-back Korean Series titles after the Doosan Bears in 2015 and 2016.

The Gwangju club was due to finish their second game of the season against the Dinos at home as of press time.

The Bears were to wrap up their game against the SSG Landers at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the same day, with the games between the LG Twins and Lotte Giants in southern Seoul, between the Lions and Heroes in Daegu and between the Hanwha Eagles and KT Wiz in Suwon, Gyeonggi, also scheduled to conclude.

The 2025 regular season consists of 720 games, with each team playing 144 games.

Games through the end of August have been scheduled, while the last day of the regular season has yet to be determined.

The postseason in which the top five finishers compete will follow soon after and culminate in the Korean Series, where regular-season winners face the team that went through the preceding playoffs.

Last season witnessed a competitive race through the end of the reason season, forcing the first-ever fifth-place tiebreaker between the Landers and Wiz for the final postseason spot.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]