Korean Baseball Close To Kick-Off, Let the K-pop Pitch Roulette Begin!

Spring is here and that means it is time again for the all-time favorite Korean sport, baseball.

The Korean Baseball Organization kicks off the season opener on Saturday with some familiar faces.

This season is a bit different from those in the past with the addition of a new team, the Changwon Dinos, taking the total number of teams up to nine. Saturday's season opener will be played among the veteran teams, however.

The coaches,  together with a few key players from each team, met earlier this week for a press conference to discuss the upcoming 2013 season. The mood was light as the managers joked around with each other and promised fans their teams will do their best and play hard this season.

In the all-important tradition of the ceremonial first pitch, fans will be delighted to see some of their favorite stars hit the mound.

Busan's Lotte Giants will go head to head against Daejeon's Hanhwa Eagles on their home turf in the always dynamic Sajik Stadium. The first pitch of the game will be thrown by actor Jo Jin Woong who is best known for his roles in the KBS2 historical drama Chuno and the films Once Upon a Time in High School and Gangster High. K-drama actress Han Go Eun will also be there to hit the ball pitched by her former A Man Called God co-star.

Comedians Jung Tae Ho and Kim Seung Il with start the game off between last year's KBO champions the Samsung Lions of Daegu and Seoul's Doosan Bears.

Fans of Running Man may recognize Lee Si Young, the Boys Before Flowers actress-turned-boxer appeared on the variety show back in February and will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch in the LG Twins-SK Wyverns match-up.

And finally, the KIA Tigers will play at home against the Nexen Heroes, whose coach is the father of After School's Uee. And that oh-so-important first pitch will be delivered by none other than the mayor of Gwangju (a bit anti-climactic, no?).

Saturday afternoon the baseball stadiums around the Korean peninsula will be over-flowing with fans enjoying the nice spring weather and cheering for their favorite teams. Fighting!

Tags
After School Uee
Running Man
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics