Don’t blink, or else the 2025 Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) season will zoom right by you. With just a few days remaining in July, there is nearly one month left in the regular season. Only one game separates the fifth-place SSG Landers and the eighth-place NC Dinos, so there should be plenty of intriguing matchups ahead.
It’s time to check in on more of the latest news from the top professional baseball league in South Korea, the KBO.
Landers Crush Eagles’ Ace – On Saturday, the Landers’ potent offense forced the Hanwha Eagles to make a decision they probably never expected. Eagles starting pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, a former Major Leaguer with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, was pulled from his start after throwing just one inning.
In the top of the first, Ryu allowed five runs on four hits with two walks, as the Landers won 9-3. The outing was Ryu’s shortest of his KBO career.
Ryu, 38, made his KBO debut in 2006 and won both the Most Valuable Player Award and Rookie of the Year Award in his first season. He was a one-time All-Star in MLB and won the league’s ERA title with the Dodgers in 2019.
Czechia to Play South Korea This Fall – On Monday, the KBO announced it had agreed to a deal with the Czech Baseball Association, allowing the national teams to play two exhibition games against each other on November 8 and 9 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea.
“I am pleased to invite the Czechia national team, a baseball power in Europe, for games here in South Korea,” KBO Commissioner Heo Koo-youn said in a statement announcing the games, per Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency. “We hope that these games will further strengthen the friendly relations between the two countries, which already have a strong industrial connection, and will also help both of our national teams to have success at next year’s WBC.”
⚾The 🇨🇿 national baseball team will play two friendly games against 🇰🇷 on Nov 8–9 at Gocheok Sky Dome, Korea, ahead of the 2026 WBC. Stay tuned for an exciting K-Baseball Series! 🇰🇷🇨🇿 #Baseball #WBC2026 #KBO @baseballczech_ @KBO_ENG pic.twitter.com/KNccNz8nnf
— Czech Embassy Seoul (@CzechEmbSeoul) July 28, 2025
In preparation for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, South Korea will also face Japan on Nov. 15 and 16.
Ponce Improves to 13-0 on the Mound – Eagles starting pitcher Cody Ponce improved to a perfect 13-0 on the season with six shutout innings against the Samsung Lions on Wednesday, his 21st start of the year.
Ponce, a 2015 second-round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers, is a strong candidate for this year’s Choi Dong-won Award, the KBO’s equivalent of MLB’s Cy Young Award. The 31-year-old allowed six hits and struck out eight in the 5-0 victory against the Lions, and now has 184 punchouts in 133 2/3 innings in his first season in the KBO.
After a brief two-year stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2020-21, Ponce spent three seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (2022-23) and Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (2024).
KBO Standings as of Wednesday, July 30
1. Hanwha Eagles (58-37-3)
2. LG Twins (57-40-2)
3. Lotte Giants (54-43-3)
4. KT Wiz (50-47-3)
5. SSG Landers (47-46-4)
6. Samsung Lions (48-48-1)
7. Kia Tigers (46-47-4)
8. NC Dinos (44-45-5)
9. Doosan Bears (41-52-5)
10. Kiwoom Heroes (28-68-4)
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.
WBN KBO: https://worldbaseball.com/league/south-korea/korea-baseball-organization/
