KBO League surpasses 10 million spectators for two consecutive years… Revises the record for the fewest games played
Korean professional baseball continues to enjoy explosive popularity despite the scorching heat, achieving the remarkable milestone of surpassing 10 million spectators for two consecutive years.
On the 23rd, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) held games in various regions across the country.
The games of the 2025 Shinhan Sol Bank KBO League, held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park (Kiwoom Heroes-Samsung Lions), Changwon NC Park (Lotte Giants-NC Dinos), Gwangju-Kia Champions Field (LG Twins-KIA Tigers), and Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park (SSG Landers-Hanwha Eagles) were all sold out. In Daegu, 24,000 fans attended, 20,500 in Gwangju, 17,983 in Changwon, and 17,000 in Daejeon.
On the same day, 21,834 fans entered the Jamsil Stadium for the Doosan Bears-KT Wiz game, bringing the total attendance across the five stadiums to 101,317.
As a result, the KBO League recorded a total of 10,088,590 spectators this season.
10 million spectators achieved in the fewest games ever
Notably, this year, the KBO League surpassed 10 million spectators in just 587 games. This marked a reduction of 84 games compared to last year's achievement, which was reached in 671 games, setting a new milestone for reaching 10 million spectators in the fewest games ever.
Since its inception in 1982, Korean professional baseball has steadily increased in popularity, surpassing 6 million spectators in 2011, 7 million in 2012, and 8 million in 2016. However, it did not reach 9 million for eight years before suddenly crossing the 10 million mark last year, accelerating the overall interest in the league.
This year, there is a trend suggesting that it will surpass last year's record and aim for the unprecedented target of 12 million spectators.
Interestingly, the date of surpassing 10 million spectators, the 23rd, coincided with 'Baseball Day,' commemorating the South Korean baseball team's gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
During that time, manager Kim Kyung-moon, who was the national team manager, currently leads Hanwha, which achieved a significant victory by defeating SSG 5-0 in Daejeon, ending a six-game losing streak.
Results and ranking changes from each team's games
In that game, Hanwha's starter Hwang Jun-seo pitched six innings with three hits, no walks, six strikeouts, and no earned runs, earning the win. Captain Chae Eun-sung contributed to the team's victory with multi-hits, including a crucial two-run RBI hit. Notably, Hanwha's veteran outfielder Son Ah-seob hit a single to right-center in the eighth inning against SSG's Mitch White, making him the first player in KBO League history to reach 2,600 hits.
The leading LG defeated KIA 6-2, continuing their five-game winning streak and maintaining a 5.5-game lead over second-place Hanwha.
On the other hand, KIA fell into a four-game losing streak and dropped to eighth place.
NC beat Lotte 4-1 at home, climbing to fourth place, while Lotte, currently on a 12-game losing streak, sank to a tie for fifth place.
KT won against Doosan 6-2, with new foreign pitcher Patrick Murphy performing well, allowing two runs (one earned) over six innings to record his second win of the season (1 loss).
Samsung defeated the bottom-ranked Kiwoom 12-8, moving up one spot to seventh place.
Image source: News1
