I woke up at 3 a.m. and went downstairs to watch baseball for the first time this year. I grabbed my Suwon KT Wiz hat, my favorite K-pop jacket and a beer and tuned in to ESPN 2. Though the sun would not rise for another three hours, I had to get into the right mood for Korean baseball. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the savior of sports fans worldwide, is being touted as a potential blueprint for Major League Baseball (MLB) of the U.S. to follow if and when its 2020 season begins. Since March, COVID-19 has halted play in most professional sports leagues around the world. In the U.S., NBA games were canceled before tipoff; its minor league version, the NCAA Tournament also known as ¡°March Madness,¡± became March sadness. When I heard that the American flagship sports channel ESPN would broadcast KBO games, I was ecstatic. Not only because I was starved for sports but because I love the way baseball is played in Korea. Players have a certain swagger in the way they frequently swing for the fences or flip their bats after hitting home runs. Fans display crazed enthusiasm in chanting, singing and banging thundersticks.

The first baseball game I attended in Korea was in 2016 between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins, two teams based in Seoul. I was quickly amazed by the heated intensity of the entire stadium. Outside, vendors sold fried chicken, dried squid, ramyeon (instant noodles) and large bottles of beer that fans took to their seats. Inside, the atmosphere was electric. Each batter who approached the plate had a song; cheerleading squads from both sides pumped up the crowd. When Bears first baseman Nick Evans, who once played in MLB, was at bat, fans sang lyrics like ¡°Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Ye-beon-seu!¡± to the tune of 2NE1¡¯s ¡°Fire.¡± The words to a K-pop song were modified to cheer the power hitter.

The Doosan-LG rivalry is one of the fiercest in Korean baseball. They share the same home stadium and are often contenders for the Korean Series. The Bears won its sixth title last year, making it the league¡¯s third most successful club. LG since 2013 has won two crowns and made the semifinals three times, but has struggled to get over the hump. A Twins fan compared the rivalry to that between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, likening Doosan to the Yankees. ESPN commentators provided briefings on the Korean league for non-Korean viewers, then invited former players for interviews. Former Bears pitcher Josh Lindblom, who returned to the U.S. to sign with the Milwaukee Brewers, agreed that the Doosan-LG rivalry was akin to that between the Yankees and Red Sox. Though I¡¯m certainly glad that baseball is back, watching a televised KBO game isn¡¯t quite like being there in person. On my next visit to Korea, I hope to join my fellow Bears fans in chanting ¡°Doosan is the best!¡± at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.