2025 KBO League season
Professional baseball season in South Korea
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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, was a 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.
| 2025 KBO League | |
|---|---|
2025 신한 SOL Bank KBO 리그 | |
| Association | KBO |
| League | KBO League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Defending champions | Kia Tigers (2024) |
| Hosts | Shinhan Bank |
| Duration | March 22 – September 30 |
| Games | 144 per team |
| Teams | 10 |
| Total attendance | 12,245,426 |
| Average attendance | 17,103 |
| TV partner(s) | KBS, MBC, SBS & SPOTV |
| Streaming partner(s) | TVING (South Korea) SOOP Live (International) |
| Regular Season | |
| Season champions | LG Twins | 85–56–3 (.603) |
| Second place | Hanwha Eagles | 83–57–4 (.593) |
| Third place | SSG Landers | 75–65–4 (.536) |
| Fourth place | Samsung Lions | 74–68–2 (.521) |
| Fifth place | NC Dinos | 71–67–6 (.514) |
| Season MVP | Cody Ponce (Hanwha) |
| Preseason | |
| First place | KT Wiz |
| Runners-up | Hanwha Eagles |
| All-Star Game | |
| 2025 KBO All-Stars | Nanum All-Stars |
| Runners-up | Dream All-Stars |
| Season MVP | Park Dong-won (LG) |
| Postseason | |
| Wild Card champions | Samsung Lions |
| Wild Card runners-up | NC Dinos |
| Semi-playoff champions | Samsung Lions |
| Semi-playoff runners-up | SSG Landers |
| Playoff champions | Hanwha Eagles |
| Playoff runners-up | Samsung Lions |
| Korean Series | |
| Date | October 26 - October 31 |
| Venue |
|
| Champions | LG Twins (4th title) |
| Runners-up | Hanwha Eagles |
| Finals MVP | Kim Hyun-soo (LG) |
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.
Rules
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]
Events
MLB
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.
Kim finished his rookie season with a .280 batting average, three home runs, along with 17 RBIs.[4]
Changwon NC Park incident
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.[5] The next day, a young woman who was treated for a concussion died.[6] 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.[7]
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.
Records
On September 25, Lewin Díaz (1B) of the Lions broke South Korean baseball's single season RBI record when he drove in a run with a double against the Heroes in the bottom of the fifth inning a in Daegu for his 147th RBI of the season. With 49 home runs, Díaz set another KBO record: the most home runs by a foreign player in a season. Díaz surpassed former Lion Yamaico Navarro who had 48 in 2015.[8]
On September 30, Díaz achieved the KBO's first 50-home-run, 150-RBI season vs. the Tigers with a three-run home run.[9]
Retirements
Oh Seung-hwan, RP – Samsung Lions
On August 7, it was announced that the 2025 season would be Oh Seung-hwan's final season in professional baseball. Oh, who spent 21 years in the KBO, NPB, MLB from 2005 to 2025, played with the Samsung Lions, Tigers, Cardinals, Blue Jays and Rockies. The Lions retired his number (21), and announced in his retirement ceremony on September 30 that the entrance gate on the third base side of Daegu Samsung Lions Park would be renamed "Gate 21" to honor his legacy.[10][11]
Preseason
These are the final preseason standings.
The preseason started on March 8 and ended on March 18.[12]
| Rank | Team | GP | W | L | D | PCT | GB | WS | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KT Wiz | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | .857 | - | W3 | 4–0–1 | 4–0–1 |
| 2 | Hanwha Eagles | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | .714 | 1 | W5 | 1–0–2 | 4–1–0 |
| 3 | Kia Tigers | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | .667 | 1.5 | W4 | 2–0–0 | 2–2–2 |
| Kiwoom Heroes | 10 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | W3 | 3–1–0 | 3–0–3 | ||
| 5 | LG Twins | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | .444 | 3 | W1 | 1–0–0 | 3–0–5 |
| 6 | Doosan Bears | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | .429 | L4 | 0–1–1 | 3–1–3 | |
| 7 | SSG Landers | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | .375 | 3.5 | W1 | 2–0–4 | 1–0–1 |
| 8 | Samsung Lions | 8 | 3 | 6 | 0 | .333 | 4 | L4 | 3–0–3 | 0–0–3 |
| Lotte Giants | 8 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3.5 | L3 | 2–2–2 | 0–0–2 | ||
| 10 | NC Dinos | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | .250 | 4.5 | L5 | 2–0–5 | 0–0–1 |
Regular season
The regular season of the 2025 season began on March 22 and ended on September 30. Each team played 144 games, facing every other team 16 times. Regular season games were played every day except Mondays.
Standings
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.
All-Star Game
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.
| Team | All-Star Team |
|---|---|
| Samsung Lions | Dream All-Stars |
| Doosan Bears | |
| KT Wiz | |
| SSG Landers | |
| Lotte Giants | |
| Kia Tigers | Nanum All-Stars |
| LG Twins | |
| Hanwha Eagles | |
| NC Dinos | |
| Kiwoom Heroes | |
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
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
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.
Result
| 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 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Postseason
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).
Qualification
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.
Postseason bracket
The 2025 KBO postseason started in the fall. The top five teams in the regular season standings qualified: the Twins, Eagles, Landers, Lions, and Dinos.
| Wild Card | Semi-playoff | Playoff | Korean Series | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | LG Twins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Hanwha Eagles | 3 | 2 | Hanwha Eagles | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 3 | SSG Landers | 1 | 4 | Samsung Lions | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Samsung Lions | 1 | 4 | Samsung Lions | 3 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | NC Dinos | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
Wild Card
(4) Samsung Lions vs (5) NC Dinos
The series started with a 1–0 advantage for the Lions.
Lions won the series, 1-1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 6 | NC Dinos – 4, Samsung Lions – 1 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 2:48 | 23,680[15] |
| 2 | October 7 | NC Dinos – 0, Samsung Lions – 3 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 2:50 | 23,680[16] |
Semi-playoff
Quarterfinals – best of 5 series.
(3) SSG Landers vs (4) Samsung Lions
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.[17]
Lions won the series, 3-1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 9 | Samsung Lions – 5, SSG Landers – 2 | Incheon SSG Landers Field | 3:24 | 22,500[18] |
| 2 | October 11 | Samsung Lions – 3, SSG Landers – 4 | Incheon SSG Landers Field | 2:58 | 22,500[19] |
| 3 | October 13 | SSG Landers – 3, Samsung Lions – 5 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 2:58 | 23,680[20] |
| 4 | October 14 | SSG Landers – 2, Samsung Lions – 5 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 3:03 | 23,680[21] |
Playoff
Semi-finals – best of 5 series.
(2) Hanwha Eagles vs (4) Samsung Lions
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.[22]
Eagles won the series, 3-2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 18, 2025 | Samsung Lions – 8, Hanwha Eagles – 9 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:35 | 16,750[23] |
| 2 | October 19, 2025 | Samsung Lions – 7, Hanwha Eagles – 3 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:16 | 16,750[24] |
| 3 | October 21, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles – 5, Samsung Lions – 4 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 3:04 | 23,680[25] |
| 4 | October 22, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles – 4, Samsung Lions – 7 | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 3:16 | 23,680[26] |
| 5 | October 24, 2025 | Samsung Lions – 2, Hanwha Eagles – 11 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:14 | 16,750[27] |
2025 Korean Series
Finals – best of 7 series.
(1) LG Twins vs (2) Hanwha Eagles
Twins won the series, 4-1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | October 26, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles – 2, LG Twins – 8 | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 2:55 | 23,750[28] |
| 2 | October 27, 2025 | Hanwha Eagles – 5, LG Twins – 13 | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 3:08 | 23,750[29] |
| 3 | October 29, 2025 | LG Twins – 3, Hanwha Eagles – 7 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:14 | 16,750[30] |
| 4 | October 30, 2025 | LG Twins – 7, Hanwha Eagles – 4 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:24 | 16,750[31] |
| 5 | October 31, 2025 | LG Twins – 4, Hanwha Eagles – 1 | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 3:05 | 16,750[32] |
Legend • WC: Wild Card winner • SPO: Semi-playoff winner • PO: Playoff winner
Note: All dates and times are in KST (Korea Standard Time).
Attendance
The average home attendances per club as of June 2025:
| # | Baseball club | Average attendance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samsung Lions | 22,312 |
| 2 | LG Twins | 22,260 |
| 3 | Lotte Giants | 20,301 |
| 4 | Doosan Bears | 19,839 |
| 5 | SSG Landers | 17,706 |
| 6 | KIA Tigers | 17,022 |
| 7 | Hanhwa Eagles | 16,906 |
| 8 | KT Wiz | 12,215 |
| 9 | NC Dinos | 11,289 |
| 10 | Kiwoom Heroes | 11,008 |
Source:[33]