Thursday, May 21, 2026

ESPN to Air Korean Baseball Games

  • ESPN will exclusively televise six live games per week in the U.S., starting with Opening Day on Tuesday.
  • Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez will call the Samsung Lions vs. NC Dinos season-opener, as well as the May 6 and May 7 games.
Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Live sports are coming back to TV, starting very early Tuesday morning. ESPN has reached an agreement to be the exclusive English-language broadcast partner for the KBO, South Korea’s top-flight baseball league.

ESPN will broadcast the league’s Opening Day at 1 a.m. ET and will air one game per day, Tuesday through Sunday. The deal includes postseason play as well. The network’s baseball commentators will contribute to the coverage, including Karl Ravech, Jon Sciambi, Eduardo Perez, Jessica Mendoza and Kyle Peterson. Ravech and Perez will call the first game between the NC Dinos vs. Samsung Lions.

The 10-team Korean baseball league is one of the first major professional sports leagues to return to action and could provide a blueprint for U.S. leagues looking to return to normal.

With the live-action on ESPN, sportsbooks could also see some relief if bettors see an opportunity in the KBO – the league has been approved for live betting in some states, including New Jersey and Indiana. American sports fans itching to watch some competitive action can brush up on the KBO with these tip sheets from ESPN and Yahoo Sports.

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