Credit: Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters

Better fan-less baseball than no baseball.

Regular, live baseball games on TV are a staple of many an American household. I remember at least once a week my dad would tell me this was going to be the Mets’ year, that they’d have some new players that really bring the team together (which they never did, but that’s neither here nor there). Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most major sporting events are indefinitely sidelined, which means no baseball. If you’re really hankering for some bat-on-ball action, however, then there might be a promising alternative for you, provided you don’t have any qualms about language barriers.

South Korea’s baseball league, the Korea Baseball Organization, officially resumed games this week, with players on the field and commentators in the booth, though with a conspicuous (yet entirely understandable) lack of fans in the stands. While the nonexistent crowd is much more noticeable for those there in person, you actually get a pretty similar vibe to a western game when you’re watching on TV.

Credit: Jeon Heon-Kyun/EPA, via Shutterstock

Speaking of TV, in an effort to bring a little joy to the baseball-starved masses here in the States, ESPN teamed up with the KBO to offer live showings of the game. Wednesday’s game between the Doosan Bears and the LG Twins featured live commentary from ESPN hosts Karl Ravech and Eduardo Pérez, dialing in via Zoom, as well as several guests and analysts doing the same. More games are scheduled to be shown on ESPN in the next few days, and barring any sudden changes, games will likely continue in this fashion for the forseeable future.

Whether it’s in Korea or the US, baseball is baseball, and if you miss the sound of a bat smacking a ball, Korea’s got the action you’re looking for.