The LG Twins begin their title defense against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium as the 45th KBO season opens with five games on Saturday at 2 p.m. The league aims to surpass last year's record attendance of 12,312,519 fans. Preseason crowds, including records of 80,042 and 83,584 over two days, signal strong interest.
The 45th KBO season opens on Saturday, March 28, at 2 p.m. across five stadiums nationwide. The LG Twins defend their Korean Series title against the KT Wiz at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, while the Hanwha Eagles, last year's runners-up, face the Kiwoom Heroes at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark. Other matchups include SSG Landers vs. Kia Tigers at Incheon SSG Landers Field, Samsung Lions vs. Lotte Giants in Daegu, and NC Dinos vs. Doosan Bears in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. Baseball's popularity surged last year with a record 12,312,519 attendees, topping 2024's 10,887,705, boosted by the national team's World Baseball Classic quarterfinal run in March. Preseason drew records: 80,042 fans on one Saturday, 83,584 the next, and a total of 440,247, exceeding 2024's 321,763. No team has repeated as champions since the Doosan Bears in 2015-2016. The Twins lost captain and 2025 Series MVP Kim Hyun-soo to the Wiz but retained foreign players pitchers Yonny Chirinos and Anders Tolhurst, and first baseman Austin Dean. They added Australian pitcher Lachlan Wells. Samsung Lions face pitching setbacks with starter Matt Manning and setup man Lee Ho-sung out for the season due to elbow injuries; Won Tae-in resumed throwing March 8. Hanwha lost starters Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss to MLB, adding Wilkel Hernandez and Owen White. KT Wiz signed pitchers Matt Sauer, Caleb Boushley, and outfielder Sam Hilliard. Kia Tigers, 2024 champions but eighth in 2025, rely on healthy MVP Kim Do-yeong after losing veterans. Doosan Bears hired manager Kim Won-hyong and reacquired Chris Flexen. Lotte Giants topped preseason but such results rarely predict regular-season success. New rules shorten the pitch clock to 18 seconds empty, 23 with runners; illegal infield shifts allow batter or runner advancement options; pitchers face foreign substance checks twice for starters, once for relievers, with 10-game bans for violations.
