Yoo Gang-nam of LG Twins bats during the preseason game between LG Twins and Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium on April 21 in Seoul, South Korea. Photo: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images
ESPN will broadcast Korean Baseball Organization games, starting with the season opener on Tuesday, the network announced.
The big picture: Monday's announcement comes as most U.S. sports have shut down because of the coronavirus. The South Korean league, which was originally scheduled to begin in late March, was delayed until this Tuesday. The deal gives ESPN exclusive English-language coverage of the league as part of an agreement with Eclat Media Group.
After the opener, ESPN will televise six regular-season games a week.
What they're saying: "We have a long-standing history of documenting the game of baseball and we're excited to deliver these live events to sports fans," said Burke Magnus, ESPN's executive vice president of programming.
"During this unprecedented and difficult time, I hope the KBO League can bring consolation to the communities and provide guidelines to the world of sports. I am pleased that the KBO League can be introduced globally and hope this can be an opportunity for the development of our league and the sport."— KBO commissioner Un-Chan Chung