Korean Baseball Live on ESPN

For ultra-early risers and those who like to watch a live sports game at the hours most people are asleep, there has been a small oasis of live baseball this week. Major League Baseball’s season may be a month away, but the 10-team Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) started its season Monday. In a nod to fans of the sport, ESPN reached a deal to broadcast six KBO games each week, starting Tuesday mornings.

The telecasts will air on ESPN2 from Tuesday through Friday and Saturday mornings, with ESPN play-by-play voices and analysts calling the action remotely. This includes the network’s MLB commentators, including Karl Ravech, Jon Sciambi, Eduardo Perez and Jessica Mendoza. KBO games will also be available on the ESPN app.

In addition to ESPN, KT and the MLB-affiliated YTN are also streaming games. YTN has a free tier that lets you watch five games per week, while KT offers its subscribers a premium subscription for access to all of its game coverage.

Those in the United States looking for live game streams can turn to ExpressVPN, which has a solid track record with streaming sports and offers fast connection speeds in many countries. The service is available for Windows, Mac, iOS and Android devices. You can even try it for seven days, as the company offers a no-questions-asked money-back guarantee.

It’s a safe bet that the majority of MLB stadiums will remain empty as the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact travel. But some of the country’s smaller ballparks will be filling up with fans, especially in South Korea, where the virus has been contained more effectively than anywhere else. The KBO, the world’s most populous nation, was one of the first major professional leagues to open its season.

The NC Dinos are off to a strong start in the standings, with the Doosan Bears, Kiwoom Heroes and LG Twins not far behind. The NC Dinos are a team known for its home runs, with former Minnesota Twin Byung Ho Park leading the league last year with 33. The KBO averages 4.1 home runs per game, while MLB averages 3.4.

While the stands are mostly empty, the SK Wyverns and Samsung Dinos have some team cheerleaders on hand to dance and yell at imaginary crowds. That’s a step above the Mariners, which streamed some of their preseason scrimmages with virtual crowds on their YouTube channels. The fake crowd noise is pumped in through speakers and becomes louder after a big play, and you can hear the screams of imaginary fans on the JumboTron. The idea is to give the appearance of a full house, even when most of the stadium is empty. 한국야구실시간