Meanwhile, in Baseball: An Introduction to the KBO’s Teams

Image credit: Kastrot / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Team Notes:

• Spent most of the 2019 season chasing SK, but won its last five straight to catch up and clinch the best record in the league via tiebreaker.

• This was particularly notable because while Doosan has a reputation for shifting gears in the clutch, SK has been the one team to get the better of them as often as not.

• The Bears’ recent run of success is notable given the number of players they’ve lost to free agency/overseas throughout, including star catcher Yang Eui-ji.

• Notable former foreign players: Dustin Nippert, Josh Lindblom, Scott Proctor, Ty Woods

Stadium Notes:

• The oldest stadium in the KBO, built not for pro baseball but with an eye toward the 1988 Summer Olympics.

• The most extreme pitcher’s park in the league. Deepest outfield, deep foul territory.

• Bullpens are positioned next to the dugout, in front of the stands by first and third base.

• Because Doosan and LG split the stadium, Doosan’s clubhouse is on the 1B side, LG’s on the 3B side. Visiting clubs are forced to use other areas, and have been seen eating in hallways and changing in bathrooms.

• The advertisements are built to swap out between series based on which team is home.

No comparison between KBO and MLB teams is going to be perfect. People have compared Doosan to the Yankees, and certainly right now, it feels that way; they’re the clear reigning dynasty in the league, finishing with the best record three of the past four years. They’re a large-market team. But Boston might feel more appropriate, if you’re willing to forget 2019 (or feel cynical about Doosan’s 2020). They play in a beloved, yet crumbling stadium. They have a rich history, reaching back to the beginning of the league, and yet they, like Boston, have had their difficult times. Even that doesn’t map perfectly, of course, because the extreme pitcher’s park (and the dead ball) inspire a level-swinging, 1980s Cardinals type of offensive makeup.

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Team Notes:

• As SK tends to be the bane of Doosan, the team that has their number is KIA; SK hasn’t had a winning record against the Tigers in seven years.

• Symbolized by slugger Jamie Romak, SK boasts the league’s most powerful lineup of the era. (Having read this sentence, be sure to league-adjust your soul as necessary).

• The SK franchise has seen, compared to the rest of the league, far fewer scandals among its players and management.

• The team’s organizational philosophy is to draft and extend; they rarely sign players from other clubs.

• The team’s former mascot, Wingo, was a ripoff of the Phillie Phanatic. He disappeared after 2012.

• Notable former foreign players: Merrill Kelly, Dave Bush, Luke Scott, Hensley Meulens

Stadium Notes:

• The stadium’s official name is 인천SK행복드림구장, or “Incheon SK Happy Dream Park.” This name is rarely used.

• Home of the “Big Board,” the largest LED scoreboard in the world at 63 by 18 meters (207 by 59 feet), installed in 2017.

• Located across the river from Seoul, and in a kind of hard-to-reach area, SK fans have a Los Angeles-level reputation for arriving late.

• Dodgers Stadium was, in fact, used as a model for the layout of the stadium.

• The first KBO stadium to use outfield bullpens.

• Though at the age of 20, hardly the fanciest ballpark around, Munhak is the first of the modern stadiums, and is held in high esteem.

The stadium, its home with the coastal and international city of Incheon, the consistent success: All of these make the Dodgers a pretty safe fit for a strong ballclub. But the team colors, the reliance on organizational development and depth, and the consistency are all Cardinals hallmarks. There aren’t too many better franchises to look like, regardless of which way you lean.

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KIWOOM HEROES // 키움 히어로즈

Team Notes:

• Spiritual successor, if not direct link, to the deceased Hyundai Unicorns, who disbanded in 2008—the same year the Heroes joined the league.

• The only team to be owned by citizens, rather than a corporation. The naming rights for the franchise are sold to the highest bidder; until recently, they were the Nexen Heroes.

• This can be a source of some worry for the local fanbase, as anyone who’s had a stadium name change can attest.

• Arrival in the league coincided with the first hints at the end of the smallball era, and the team has always been associated with power over pitching and fundamentals.

• The most expensive ticket in the KBO.

• Notable former foreign players: Jerry Sands, C.J. Nitkowski, Ryan Feierabend

Stadium Notes:

• The only domed stadium in the KBO, and one of the smallest in terms of capacity.

• The only Korean stadium that can host international games, thanks to the roof.

• The park plays neutral, despite the climate control, and is a good example of how park effects and dimensions tend to be much more uniform than in Major League Baseball.

• Unlike in other domes, rules based on the ball hitting or getting stuck in the roof depend on where it is; in the infield, it’s treated as an out, while the outfield is a ground rule double.

Some of these are easier than others. First, there’s the dome, and the smaller capacity that makes the Heroes a smaller market than one would expect from a team in the nation’s capital. Then there’s also the parallels in performance, as Kiwoom was mired in the cellar for the first half of its existence before emerging as a consistent, quality team. And there’s the team’s arrival as symbol for modern roster construction. So yeah, no questions here.

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LG TWINS // LG 트윈스

Team Notes:

• Owner of the second-longest championship drought in the KBO.

• The only non-expansion franchise without an MVP.

• The team name is derived from the twin towers of the LG corporate headquarters, unlike the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

• Holds a reputation as being the premier sign-stealing club in the KBO.

• Notable former foreign players: Junior Felix, Al Martin, Radhames Liz, Tommy Joseph

Stadium Notes:

• See Doosan.

The Bears/Twins rivalry isn’t quite the same as the Cubs/White Sox, but only because the Chicago version is a little more even. The Twins are a Southside ballclub that don’t even get their own side; they have to share their digs and watch their big brother win pennants on them. Like the White Sox, however, there’s a pulse in LG, and the hope that they’ll be able to open a new chapter on a franchise with a long history—much of it suffering.

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NC DINOS // 엔씨 다이노스

Team Notes:

• The smallest market team in the KBO, NC has relied heavily on social media and advertising to draw fans.

• Ironically, also has a reputation as being a difficult team to cover as a journalist; the team tends to be guarded and ambiguous in its official statements.

• Its corporate owner, NCSoft, is a video game developer that published multiplayer online games; its best-known title in the west is probably Guild Wars.

• Due to proximity (and comparable postseason success), their main rival is Lotte.

• Is known throughout its short existence as a team that usually has a strong bullpen.

• Eddie Butler caused a great deal of consternation after blowing a save and drop-kicking his glove from the mound. He later apologized, and was released by summer.

• Notable former foreign players: Eric Thames, seriously you can’t understate the importance of Eric Thames, Jeff Manship, Zach Stewart

Stadium Notes:

• The newest park in the KBO, having opened just last year.

• Its open-air concourse beyond center field bears a distinct Petco vibe.

• Unlike most KBO stadiums, the outfield wall is straight-edged, so the deepest parts of the park are 410’ in left -and right-center.

• However, because of the lack of foul territory and a helpful outward wind, the park is considered somewhat hitter-friendly.

While Petco is the clear visual inspiration for the ballpark, there’s some Target Field elements as well, and NC compares well as a smart, tight-knit small-market team.

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KT WIZ // 케이티 위즈

Team Notes:

• The franchise was born after a long and contentious battle over the creation of a 10th KBO team—NC brought the league to nine.

• Began its first year so badly that it looked like it might set a record for futility, but pulled together at the end of the season.

• Tends to be very active in signing players from other teams in free agency, even if those transactions aren’t always productive.

• Notable former foreign players: Dustin Nippert, Ryan Feierabend (both signed away from other clubs), Andy Marte

Stadium Notes:

• Former home of the Hyundai Unicorns, who relocated there in 2000 but failed to draw well despite reasonable success, and were eventually disbanded in 2008.

• The city has a reputation of being a soccer community rather than a baseball one; KT has, like Hyundai, struggled to build an audience, finishing near last in attendance.

• Unlike other fields, the grass in Suwon yellows in late summer; this is not due to wilting, but the type of grass, which is actually quite hardy. It can be seen as a metaphor, for the willing.

• Eric Thames struck the scoreboard during the 2015 KBO home run derby, damaging it.

KT hasn’t had a lot of time to establish their identity, but there’s a lot of Ray Kroc here. They’re generally among the lowest run-scoring teams in the league, and using free agency to spackle the roster instead of building through youth (it’s amazing how many weird one-year stints the Padres had back then). It’s been a slow start to the franchise, as it was for San Diego, but perhaps the tide is turning? Or at least, perhaps, the Padres can offer optimism that a franchise can survive while being the Padres.

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KIA TIGERS // KIA 타이거즈

Team Notes:

• Has never lost a Korea Series; the team is 11-0 if they make the last round.

• The end of the Tigers dynasty aligns with the 1997 global financial crisis, and forced a mass fire sale of the team’s stars.

• Even after the recovery, the team found itself unable to compete financially with the larger markets.

• Matt Williams is the league’s third foreign manager, following Lotte’s Jerry Royster and SK’s Trey Hillman.

• Despite their recent woes, the Tigers’ legacy founds a large fanbase, and the team draws well for its market.

• Notable former foreign players: Hector Noesi, Horacio Ramirez, Henry Sosa, Roger Bernadina

Stadium Notes:

• Probably the closest to true neutral among KBO stadiums, in terms of park factor.

• Despite the picture above, Gwangju-Kia was built to feel open and green, with tens of thousands of trees planted around the stadium.

• All seating is around the infield to the poles; the outfield is entirely grass berm.

• An abandoned dog was discovered by team employees in 2011 and has been living in the stadium, often in the underground tunnels, ever since.

Again, not a perfect parallel. But Gwanju is a smaller market, and an industrial one, which maps well onto the midwest. It’s also a team with a rich history, but a distant one, much like the current form of the Reds looking back on the Big Red Machine. If you want to do a thought exercise, you could also think of the Tigers as being KBO’s Yankees, in an alternate universe where the 90s never happened, and the Scott Sanderson/Ed Whitson era of New York just kept going forever. Sorry, that got dark.

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SAMSUNG LIONS // 삼성 라이온즈

Team Notes:

• Holds the record for the most Korea Series appearances, with 17.

• After spending heavily during the dynasty of the early 2010s, the team has avoided free agency and cut salaries, to tangible effect.

• Meanwhile, there’s been a superstition about free agents signed away from Samsung often disappointing their new clubs.

• One of the team’s recent problems has been the failure to sign quality foreign pitchers. Only Samsung and Hanwha have failed to retain a foreign starter longer than two years.

• Notable former foreign players: Julio Franco, Darin Ruf, Manny Martinez. Just tons of Phillies, really.

Stadium Notes:

• The outside of the stadium is lit based on game state: blue when the team is winning, red when losing, and alternating when the score is tied.

• It’s a baseball stadium. Despite the sharp octagonal design, the park plays neutral and there are few distinctive features.

• Perhaps more than anything drawing fans, transportation accessibility has helped with attendance.

Like the Giants, the Lions have a long and rich history, although ironically Samsung is one of two teams to never relocate or rename themselves in KBO history. The timing of their recent dynasties, and the hard times since, also overlap. The Diamondbacks should hope that the Samsung curse of departing free agents doesn’t somehow transfer over to Madison Bumgarner.

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HANWHA EAGLES // 한화 이글스

Team Notes:

• Despite the team’s lack of success, loyalty for the team remains strong, and rarely descends into gallows humor. The team acts more as an institution than as a source of competition or rivalry.

• In terms of TV ratings, the team is actually middle of the pack.

• Interestingly, the Eagles retired #23 in honor of legend Jeong Min-Cheol, despite the fact that he wore #55 throughout his career. Min-Cheol had actually given his number to proteges at the end of his career, so when the honor came, he picked a backup.

• The team hasn’t officially retired #99, instead saving it in case Ryu Hyun-Jin returns after his MLB career comes to an end.

• The team owes a lot to Ryu; not only was he a star, but his posting was perhaps the most influential, financially, of any Korean player, keeping the team afloat in hard times.

• Notable former foreign players: Surprisingly, tons. Willin Rosario, Alexi Ogando, Esmil Rogers, Nyjer Morgan, Felix Pie, Andrew Albers, Karim Garcia

Stadium Notes:

• Easily the oldest Korean baseball stadium in operation, only three MLB parks were opened before it.

• Was often called the “Tennis Table Court” for its tiny dimensions, until remodeling in the mid-2000s brought it out to standard dimensions.

• Despite its age and small size, the city has conducted multiple remodeling projects to keep it in decent shape.

The Eagles are a solid organization, but not quite good enough to overcome the twin handicaps of its small market and smaller stadium. There’s something pure about Eagles fandom, detached from winning and losing, just happy to be at the table and enjoying baseball alongside everyone else. The Royals fit the first half of that description, but there really is no comparison to the second; no American city could handle losing, for that long and that hopelessly, with the acceptance of Daejeon.

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LOTTE GIANTS // 롯데 자이언츠

Team Notes:

• The only team older than the KBO itself, having been founded in Seoul as an amateur team before moving to Busan in 1982.

• Currently owns the longest championship drought of any team in the league.

• Plays in one of the largest markets outside Seoul; Busan is a thriving port city on the southeastern coast.

• Is often considered the bellwether of the KBO; the Seoul teams draw, the small markets struggle, but when Lotte is strong, the league is strong.

• Lotte’s GM and manager both resigned mid-season, and the team looked overseas to change directions, including new GM Sung Min-Kyu, scout for the Cubs; bench coach Hank Conger and minor league manager Larry Sutton, former MLB players.

• Notable former foreign players:

Stadium Notes:

• Despite being an outdoor stadium, Sajik used artificial turf for many years.

• Is considered a bit of a bandbox despite having the tallest outfield wall (15 feet).

• Because of its location and size, Sajik tends to have a higher proportion of home fans to traveling rivals than any other park.

• Aesthetically, perhaps the most “American” style stadium, in terms of its bowl-like structure.

• Suffers from greater-than-average number of cat-related stoppages of play.

The Giants are one of the most popular teams in the country, with one of the largest markets, and one of the longest histories. And yet the franchise has struggled mightily over the past quarter-century, often through front-office ineptitude and mismanagement. It’s very much the New York Mets, down to the bright spotlight and constant intrigue surrounding the team, even down to the fact that like the Mets, the Giants aren’t that bad. They have their periods of resurgence, only to choke in the playoffs and then dull the excitement with some media gaffe. 2020 is the beginning of a new era, results TBD, but here at the bottom, between Hanwha and Lotte, you have the two best kinds of bad teams: the yeomen, and the fools. It’s always fun to root for (or some German word that somehow means against-for) the fools.

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