Ongoing professional baseball season in South Korea
Sports season
The 2025 KBO League season, officially known as the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League (Korean: 2025 신한 SOL Bank KBO 리그)[1] for sponsorship reasons, is an ongoing professional baseball season based in South Korea; the 44th in the history of the KBO League. The league’s format and makeup did not change in the 2025 season from the previous season, with the same ten teams competing; the Kia Tigers, Doosan Bears, Lotte Giants, NC Dinos, LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles, KT Wiz, Samsung Lions, SSG Landers, and the Kiwoom Heroes.
The Eagles and Bears changed their branding and cap insignia prior to the season. The Eagles also moved to a new stadium, Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark.
The Tigers entered the season as the defending champions from the 2024 season.
The Korea Baseball Organization announced rule changes for the 2025 season, including the pitch clock and the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). The KBO will implement the pitch clock starting in the regular season, with pitchers starting their delivery within 20 seconds with the bases empty and 25 seconds with runners on. The league will also have a 33-second limit between trips to the plate for batters, with only two timeouts per plate appearance. The KBO will not have a limit on the number of disengagements for pitchers, a departure from the MLB’s two-pickoffs rule. The ABS was readjusted in 2025, with the top and bottom units lowered without changes to the size of the zone.[2]
On January 3, 2025, Hye-seong Kim (2B) of the Heroes signed a three-year, $12.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball. The contract has an option for the 2028-29 season that could increase the amount to $22 million.[3] He was optioned to the Dodgers’ AAA affiliate, the Oklahoma City Comets, as he struggled in spring training. On May 3, Kim was called up to the MLB and made his debut as a pinch runner against the Braves.
Changwon NC Park incident
[edit]
On March 30, a game between the Twins and the Dinos at Changwon NC Park was postponed due to a small collapse of the stadium’s structure. A few fans lining up for the game were injured.[4] The next day, a young woman who was treated for a concussion died.[5] The KBO canceled all April 1 league games to mourn. They resumed four games on April 2, but several future games at NC Park were postponed further for stadium repair.[6]
On April 9, the NC Dinos announced a general meeting with the joint task force on the incident. Changwon City and Changwon Facilities Management Corporation were involved.
First Foreign hits 50 Homerun Record and breaks RBI Record in KBO History (50-150 Club)
[edit]
On September 25, Lewin Díaz (1B) of Lions broke South Korean baseball’s single season RBI records while also becoming the most prolific home run hitter from outside of the country. Díaz drove in a run with double against the Kiwoom in the bottom of the fifth inning at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu for record 147th RBI of the KBO season. He broke. a tie with the current Lions teammate Park Byung-ho, who had 146 RBIs for Nexen Heroes in 2015. Then, he smacked a three-run in the bottom eighth to reach 150 RBI. With 49 homers, Díaz set another KBO record – the most home runs by a foreign player in a season. Díaz pulled ahead of former Lions Yamaico Navarro (2B), who had 48 homers in 2015. [7]
On September 30, He achieved the KBO’s first 50-home-run, 150-RBIs season and help the reach the postseason for the second consecutive year. He started as the cleanup first baseman in the home game against the Kia at Daegu Samsung Lions Park on that day. He faced KIA pitcher Kim Tae-hyoung with the score tied 0-0 in the first inning with one out and runners on the first and third. He drove it over the three-run homer to center. With that, Díaz wrote a new chapter as the KBO first player to reach 50 home runs and 150 RBI.[8]
Oh Seung-hwan, RP – Samsung Lions
On August 7, it was announced that the end of 2025 season would be Oh Seung-hwan’s final season in professional baseball. Oh, who spent 21 years in KBO, NPB, MLB from 2005 to 2025, played in Lions, Tigers, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Rockies. He has saves 427 games in KBO and 122 games in NPB and MLB. The Lions gaves retired number in the club on number 21 and change the entrance gate on the third base of the Daegu Samsung Lions Park will be renamed in ‘gate 21′ on his retirement ceremony on September 30.[9][10]
These are the final preseason standings.
The preseason started on March 8 and ended on March 18.[11]
The regular season of the 2025 season began on March 22 and will end on September 30. Each team will play 144 games, facing every other team 16 times. Regular season games are played every day except Mondays.
These are the final 2025 KBO League regular season standings.
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | D | PCT | GB | STRK | Home | Road | Postseason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LG Twins | 144 | 85 | 56 | 3 | 0.603 | — | L3 | 41–1–29 | 44–2–27 | Korean Series |
| 2 | Hanwha Eagles | 144 | 83 | 57 | 4 | 0.593 | 1.5 | L1 | 44–2–27 | 39–2–30 | Playoff |
| 3 | SSG Landers | 144 | 75 | 65 | 4 | 0.536 | 9.5 | L2 | 38–4–31 | 37–0–34 | Semi-playoff |
| 4 | Samsung Lions | 144 | 74 | 68 | 2 | 0.521 | 11.5 | L1 | 41–0–30 | 33–2–38 | Wild Card |
| 5 | NC Dinos | 144 | 71 | 67 | 6 | 0.514 | 12.5 | W9 | 36–1–34 | 35–5–33 | |
| 6 | KT Wiz | 144 | 71 | 68 | 5 | 0.511 | 13 | W1 | 36–2–35 | 35–3–33 | Did not qualify |
| 7 | Lotte Giants | 144 | 66 | 72 | 6 | 0.478 | 17.5 | L3 | 35–4–34 | 31–2–38 | |
| 8 | Kia Tigers | 144 | 65 | 75 | 4 | 0.464 | 19.5 | W2 | 35–2–34 | 30–2–41 | |
| 9 | Doosan Bears | 144 | 61 | 77 | 6 | 0.442 | 22.5 | W2 | 29–4–40 | 32–2–37 | |
| 10 | Kiwoom Heroes | 144 | 47 | 93 | 4 | 0.336 | 37.5 | L5 | 23–2–46 | 24–2–47 | |
Note: Draw results are ignored by the league when calculating win percentage and games behind.
Like in previous all-star games, the ten KBO teams are divided into two All-Star teams: the Nanum All-Stars (나눔) and the Dream All-Stars (드림). The game will be hosted at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark, the Eagles’ new home stadium. The all-star game will be on July 12, and the Futures All-Star Game will be on the 11th.
The starting players (candidates) from each team are voted by fans and KBO players, which leads to a score. The players with the highest score are selected.
The most voted infielders and pitchers within their position group play in the game. The top 3 outfielders play in available positions, regardless if they are all on the same team.
The teams who appeared in the previous year’s Korean Series provide their manager respectively for their all-star team.
Other players in the all-star vote may also appear later in the all-star game.
Projected Dream All-Stars Lineup
[edit]
Manager: Park Jin-man (Samsung Lions)
| # | Player | No. | Pos. | Team | BA | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | HBP | Votes | PV | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Koo Ja-wook | 5 | LF | Samsung | 0.500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1,546,925 | 160 | 44.32 |
| Park Yeong-hyun | 60 | P | KT | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | |||
| 2 | Víctor Reyes | 29 | RF | Lotte | 0.333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1,273,504 | 180 | 40.60 |
| Jang Sung-woo | 22 | PH, LF | KT | 0.000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 3 | Choi Jeong | 14 | 3B | SSG | 1.000 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1,301,246 | 162 | 39.62 |
| Bae Jung-dae | 27 | PH, CF | KT | 0.500 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 4 | Lewin Díaz | 0 | 1B | Samsung | 0.500 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,485,508 | 241 | 50.00 |
| 5 | Jeon Jun-woo | 8 | DH | Lotte | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1,482,247 | 71 | 35.45 |
| Oh Myeong-jin | 6 | PH, DH, 3B | Doosan | 0.333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 6 | Ahn Hyun-min | 23 | CF, RF | KT | 0.500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| 7 | Ryu Ji-hyuk | 16 | 2B | Samsung | 0.000 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| Kwon Dong-jin | 52 | PH, 2B | KT | 0.500 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 8 | Kang Min-ho | 47 | C | Samsung | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,591,268 | 139 | 43.41 |
| Cho Hyeong-woo | 20 | SSG | 0.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | ||||
| 9 | Jeon Min-jae | 13 | SS | Lotte | 0.500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,579,413 | 178 | 46.50 |
| Player | No. | Pos. | Team | ERA | IP | NP | ER | HR | SO | BB | HB | Votes | PV | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Park Se-woong | 21 | SP | Lotte | 36.00 | 1.0 | 29 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 | – | ||
| Bae Chan-seung | 55 | RP | Samsung | 0.00 | 1.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1,102,268 | 129 | 32.86 |
| Kim Won-jung | 34 | CP | Lotte | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 1,514,509 | 63 | 35.41 |
Projected Nanum All-Stars Lineup
[edit]
Manager: Lee Bum-ho (Kia Tigers)
| # | Player | No. | Pos. | Team | BA | AB | R | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | HBP | Votes | PV | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moon Hyun-bin | 51 | DH | Hanwha | 0.333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | ||
| Kim Tae-gun | 42 | PH, DH | Kia | 1.000 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 2 | Park Min-woo | 2 | 2B | NC | 1.000 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,215,838 | 171 | 38.69 |
| Lee Do-yun | 7 | PH, 2B | Hanwha | 0.500 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 3 | Park Kun-woo | 37 | OF | NC | 0.500 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1,408,171 | 165 | 41.99 |
| Kim Hyun-soo | 22 | PH, RF | LG | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | |||
| 4 | Song Sung-mun | 24 | 3B | Kiwoom | 0.250 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| 5 | Chae Eun-seong | 22 | 1B | Hanwha | 0.333 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | ||
| Kim Ju-won | 7 | NC | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||||
| 6 | Park Dong-won | 27 | C | LG | 0.750 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,314,038 | 206 | 43.62 |
| Kim Hyung-jun | 25 | NC | 0.000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||||
| 7 | Lee Ju-hyoung | 2 | LF | Kiwoom | 0.500 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||
| 8 | Park Hae-min | 17 | CF | LG | 0.000 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,123,682 | 164 | 36.26 |
| Kim Ho Ryung | 27 | Kia | 0.000 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | ||||
| 9 | Park Chan-ho | 1 | SS | 0.250 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 937,896 | 141 | 30.62 | |
| Player | No. | Pos. | Team | ERA | IP | NP | ER | HR | SO | BB | HB | Votes | PV | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cody Ponce | 30 | SP | Hanwha | 0.00 | 1.0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1,625,259 | 234 | 52.18 |
| Park Sang-won | 58 | RP | 13.50 | 0.2 | 22 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1,340,968 | 74 | 32.90 | |
| Kim Seo-hyeon | 44 | CP | 0.00 | 1.0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1,786,837 | 220 | 54.19 |
Statistics last updated on June 25, 2025.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dream All-Stars | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Nanum All-Stars | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | 14 | 1 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Starting pitchers: Dream: Park Se-woong (Lotte) Nanum: Cody Ponce (Hanwha) WP: Cody Ponce LP: Park Se-woong Sv: Kim Seo-hyeon Home runs: Dream: Ahn Hyun-min (Top 8th, solo off Park Sang-won) Nanum: Park Dong-won (Bottom 2nd, 2 run Park Se-woong) & Kim Tae-gun (Bottom 8th, solo off Park Yeong-hyun) Attendance: 16,850 Umpires: Yoon Tae-soo, Kim Ik-soo, Oh Hoon-gyu, Koo Myeong-hwan, Ham Ji-woong, Cha Jeong-gu |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2025 KBO League postseason began on October 2. The LG Twins, Hanwha Eagles, SSG Landers, Samsung Lions and NC Dinos qualified for the playoffs. The Twins won the pennant race (first place).
In order for a team to qualify for the postseason, they must rank fifth or higher in the regular season. Fifth and fourth place are guaranteed to play in the Wild Card, third in the semi-playoff, second in the playoff, and first in the Korean Series.
In the regular season standings, there is a Postseason column; indicating the postseason status of each team.
The 2025 KBO postseason will start in the fall. The top five teams in the regular season standings qualify.
(4) Samsung Lions vs (5) NC Dinos
[edit]
The series started with a 1–0 advantage for the Lions.
Lions won the series, 1-1.
Quarterfinals – best of 5 series.
(3) SSG Landers vs (4) Samsung Lions
[edit]
Game 2 was rained out, so the game was played on October 11 instead of October 10. Games 3 and 4 were adjusted as well.[16]
Lions won the series, 3-1.
Semi-finals – best of 5 series.
(2) Hanwha Eagles vs (4) Samsung Lions
[edit]
Game 1 was rained out, so the game was played on October 18 instead of October 17. Games 2 through 5 were adjusted as well.[21]
Eagles leads the series, 2-1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 18, 2025 | Samsung Lions – 8, Hanwha Eagles – 9 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:35 | 16,750[22] |
| 2 | October 19, 2025 | Samsung Lions – 7, Hanwha Eagles – 3 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:16 | 16,750[23] |
| 3 | October 21, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles – 5, Samsung Lions – 4 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 3:04 | 23,680[24] |
| 4 | October 22, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles at Samsung Lions | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 18:30 KST | 23,680[25] |
| 5 | October 24, 2025† | Samsung Lions at Hanwha Eagles | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 18:30 KST | – |
† If necessary
Finals – best of 7 series.
(1) LG Twins vs PO Winner
[edit]
Series tied, 0-0.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 25, 2025 | TBD at LG Twins | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 14:00 KST | – |
| 2 | October 26, 2025 | TBD at LG Twins | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 14:00 KST | – |
| 3 | October 28, 2025 | LG Twins at TBD | TBD | 18:30 KST | – |
| 4 | October 29, 2025 | LG Twins at TBD | TBD | 18:30 KST | – |
| 5 | October 30, 2025† | LG Twins at TBD | TBD | 18:30 KST | – |
| 6 | November 1, 2025† | TBD at LG Twins | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 14:00 KST | – |
| 7 | November 2, 2025† | TBD at LG Twins | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 14:00 KST | – |
† If necessary
Legend • WC: Wild Card winner • SPO: Semi-playoff winner • PO: Playoff winner
Note: All dates and times are in KST (Korea Standard Time).
- ^ 스포츠투아이. “KBO 홈페이지”. koreabaseball.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-02-26.
- ^ “KBO announce new rules for the 2025 season”. wbsc.org. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ “Korean standout Hyeseong Kim signs 3-year deal with Dodgers”. MLB.com. Retrieved 2025-01-19.
- ^ “LG cancels match against NC Dinos on March 30 due to safety concerns”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-03-30.
- ^ “Female fan dies from head injure after NC Park structure collapse”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ “KBO cancels all games and mourns fan death after Changwon NC Park accident”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
- ^ “Lions slugger Diaz breaks KBO RBI record”. en.yna.co.kr. Retrieved 2025-09-25.
- ^ “Diaz hits 50th homer, 150th RBI to lead Samsung into Korea postseason”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
- ^ “KBO’s ‘Final Boss’ announces retirement: ‘I couldn’t perform at 100 percent’“. koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
- ^ “The footsteps of “finisher” Oh Seung-hwan (Samsung Lions) in his 21-year career have been compressed to No. 21 permanently, and the stadium has begun to shine”. mk.co.kr. Retrieved 2025-09-30.
- ^ “‘한화 신구장 2경기 배치’ KBO 시범경기 일정 발표…50경기서 예행연습, 달라진 ABS존도 첫 선”. sports.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 2025-02-05.
- ^ “KBO 시볌경기 (Exhibition game)”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ “KBO 정규시즌 (Regular Season)”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ “Monday, October 6, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
- ^ “Tuesday, October 7, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
- ^ “Rain forces postponement of SSG–Samsung Korea Series Game 2 to noon on 11th”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-10-10.
- ^ “Thursday, October 9, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ^ “Satursday, October 11, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ “Monday, October 13, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
- ^ “Tuesday, October 14, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
- ^ “Rain postponement pushes Korea playoff Game 1; Hanwha Ponce, Samsung Garabito stay starters”. biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 2025-10-17.
- ^ “Satursday, October 18, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 18, 2025.
- ^ “Sunday, October 19, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
- ^ “Tuesday, October 21, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
- ^ “Wednesday, October 22, 2025”. Korea Baseball Organization. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
