Observations of KBO vs. MLB Baseball

Baseball is one of the greatest things ever invented. At least in my opinion. It's such a solid sport that it's almost impossible to ruin it totally. That being said, baseball fans in the US are used to the MLB brand of baseball. The MLB is full of the greatest athletes to walk the planet. You have players hitting the ball 510 feet, you have fielders laying out for balls anyone else would have no chance at catching, and you have pitchers dotting 101 on the black for 8 innings. These players are on the biggest baseball stage the world has to offer, and they give us a show. Every big moment is something to revel in, because America offers something no other country can quite match.

But that doesn't mean all countries just watch MLB and don't care about anything else. Japan has a very notable league as well: Nippon Professional Baseball, or NPB. Players have emerged from the NPB and entered the MLB with great success. Just look at Ichiro, one of the most consistent players to play the game. Or look at two-way wonder Shohei Ohtani, who pitches and bats with above-average skills. Other pitchers, such as Hideo Nomo and Yu Darvish, have also come from the NPB, with great success.

However, with COVID-19 being so inconsiderate of our love for the game, the MLB and the NPB are both shut down. So where can we turn?

That's where the KBO comes in.

The KBO stands for the Korean Baseball Organization, the highest level of baseball available in South Korea. It consists of 10 teams, which was originally 6. The Doosan Bears are the team to beat and the defending champions. They are also one of the original 6. KBO teams can have a max of 3 foreign players. Mostly former MLB players fill up those spots.

A KBO season consists of 144 games, with each team playing the other 9 teams 16 times. 5 teams make the playoffs every year. The 5 and 4 seeds face off in a best-of-three wild card series. The winner faces the 3 seed in a best-of-5, then the winner faces the 2 seed in another best-of-5. The 1 seed faces the winner in the championship, best-of-7 series. Last year, the Bears (1 seed) faced the Heroes (3) and swept them in 4 games. They look to repeat this year and seem poised to do so.

So what's different? Well, the KBO, other than the differing format, is very similar to the MLB. It used to be extremely hitter-oriented, but last year a deadened ball was introduced, significantly reducing hitting numbers and helping pitchers. From my own observations, the pitching and hitting is not at as high a level as the MLB, but that's to be expected. In terms of health restrictions, all staff not in uniform (umpires, athletic trainers) are required to wear masks and gloves. There is also a ban on high fives and spitting for players. The MLB will likely pay attention to how the KBO works during this time in order to formulate their own plan.

Another difference is fan involvement. Although fans are not in the stadium yet, teams have cheerleaders on the dugouts, as well as a cheermaster with a microphone. The KBO is very fan-friendly, and fans are extremely involved in cheers and celebrations. Unlike the MLB, which is not as exciting at all times (especially during the summer), the KBO is extremely peppy and enthusiastic.

In terms of player performance, again, not as high a level, but still pretty close. Not as flashy, with fewer incredible plays, and pitching is not nearly as strong, but hitters bring advanced, MLB-quality approaches to the plate.

So what does this mean for the MLB? Well, we know that the MLB will have a season. We also probably know, per Jeff Passan, that baseball is beginning to formulate a plan to return to home ballparks. But, because of the difference in stage between the USA and Korea, when baseball will return with or without fans is still up in the air. We can only hope that the return of baseball to Korea bodes well for the MLB's chances.