There is a new club at the top of the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization standings. The Hanwha Eagles have won five of their last seven games, including a tie against the LG Twins this past Saturday.
The Eagles and Twins appear destined to battle it out for the top seed throughout the rest of the year, with the Lotte Giants and Samsung Lions not far behind.
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Miami Marlins Cut Former KBO Closer – On Tuesday, the Miami Marlins organization released South Korean relief pitcher Go Woo-suk. The 26-year-old was playing with Triple-A Jacksonville at the time of his departure.
Go, who played seven seasons with the KBO’s Twins from 2017 to 2023, signed a two-year contract with the San Diego Padres in January 2024. He made just 10 appearances for the Padres’ Double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions, before being acquired by the Marlins in a trade.
Go led the KBO with 42 saves in 2022 and broke his finger during this year’s spring training. He allowed one earned run and struck out five in his lone outing this season at Triple-A Jacksonville. Now that he’s a free agent, Go can search for another MLB deal or return to South Korea, if he so chooses.
Eagles Sign Outfielder to Replace Estevan Florial – On Tuesday, the Hanwha Eagles signed Dominican outfielder Luis Liberato as an injury replacement for former New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial, who suffered a broken pinkie.
Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reports Liberato’s contract is worth $50,000 United States dollars over the next six weeks. Before signing his contract with the Eagles, Liberato hit .373/.448/.690 with eight home runs and 29 RBIs in 29 games with the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s Diablos Rojos del Mexico.
Since the beginning of last season, the KBO implemented a rule allowing foreign players to be signed to short-term contracts to serve as injury replacements. Liberato could possibly return to Mexico when his six weeks with the Eagles conclude.
KBO Tops Six Million Fans – Yonhap News Agency’s Yoo Jee-ho reports the KBO is on pace to break the single-season attendance record, totaling over six million fans in this year’s first 350 games.
The previous fewest amount of games it took to reach six million spectators was 418 games in 2024. The league is experiencing exponential growth year after year.
Last year’s final attendance count for the KBO was 10.88 million fans, and they are on pace to reach 12 million at the end of 2025.
KBO Standings as of Wednesday, June 18
- Hanwha Eagles (42-28-1)
- LG Twins (41-28-2)
- Lotte Giants (38-31-3)
- Samsung Lions (38-32-1)
- Kia Tigers (36-33-1)
- KT Wiz (36-33-3)
- SSG Landers (35-33-2)
- NC Dinos (30-34-4)
- Doosan Bears (27-41-3)
- Kiwoom Heroes (21-51-2)
Where to Watch – Fans can stream the 2025 KBO season on the SOOP service. The KBO’s official YouTube page also posts game highlights and clips of other events, like the All-Star Game and Golden Glove awards.
