KBO knocks preseason attendance record out of the park over weekend

The KBO drew record preseason crowds over the weekend, with more than 160,000 spectators attending games on Saturday and Sunday.

Doosan Bears fans cheer during a KBO preseason game against the Kia Tigers at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on March 22. [NEWS1]

The KBO drew record preseason crowds over the weekend, with more than 160,000 spectators attending games on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s five games drew a combined 80,042 fans, breaking the previous preseason single-day record of 71,288 set on March 9 of last year. Attendance reached 80.1 percent of available seats across the five stadiums.

The surge continued Sunday, when total attendance climbed to 83,584. All 23,285 seats for the Doosan Bears-Kia Tigers game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul were sold. Daegu drew 23,852 fans and Busan 20,360. Secondary ticket platforms saw resale prices rise to as much as two to three times face value.

The strong turnout follows consecutive record-setting seasons. The KBO drew 10.9 million fans in 2023, the first time a Korean professional league surpassed 10 million attendees in a season. That total rose to 12.3 million last year amid a tight pennant race. Interest has carried into this season following Korea’s quarterfinal appearance at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

SSG Landers' pitcher Kim Keon-woo [SSG LANDERS]

On the field Sunday, the SSG Landers beat the Kiwoom Heroes 4-3 at SSG Landers Field in Incheon to snap a three-game losing streak and move out of last place in the preseason standings into a tie for seventh with the Hanwha Eagles. The Kiwoom Heroes fell to 10th.

Pitcher Kim Keon-woo, a left-hander for the Landers, and Heroes right-hander Bae Dong-hyun matched each other through four scoreless innings. Kim allowed one hit over five shutout innings with three strikeouts and four walks and hit batters combined, while Bae gave up just one walk and struck out seven over four scoreless innings.

The Landers broke through in the fifth inning. Cho Hyeong-woo led off with a double, followed by an RBI single from Choi Jun-woo. An Sang-hyun added another hit, and after several regular starters entered, Choi Ji-hoon and Park Seong-han each delivered run-scoring doubles to extend the lead to 4-0.

Kiwoom scored once in the eighth and added two in the ninth but left the tying run on base.

“Keon-woo handled pressure situations inning by inning and completed his final tuneup well before the season," Landers manager Lee Sung-yong said.

"Starting with Hyeong-woo’s double in the fifth, Jun-woo and Sang-hyun carried the offensive flow. The regular position players who came in also adjusted well to a night game and sharpened their game readiness," he added.

"We sincerely thank the fans who filled the stadium and showed strong support throughout the weekend, even during the preseason.”

Kia Tigers fans cheer during a KBO preseason game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on March 22. [NEWS1]

Elsewhere, the Lotte Giants beat the Hanwha Eagles 10-6 in Busan to improve to 7-2-1 and remain atop the preseason standings. The Giants' Yoo Kang-nam hit two home runs and drove in five runs, while Victor Reyes and Shin Yoon-hoo also homered. The Eagles responded with home runs from Kang Baek-ho and Heo In-seo but did not complete the comeback.

In Suwon, the KT Wiz beat the NC Dinos 6-2. Matt Sauer allowed two runs over five innings to earn the win. The Dinos’ Koo Chang-mo, set to start on Opening Day due to an injury to Riley Thompson, threw two hitless innings.

In Daegu, the LG Twins, the defending champions, beat the Samsung Lions 14-13. The Lions scored seven runs in the ninth inning, including a three-run home run by Lee Hae-seung, but fell short. In Seoul, the Bears and Tigers played to a 0-0 draw behind five scoreless innings from starters Chris Flexen and Hwang Dong-ha.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY KIM HYO-KYOUNG [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]