Today, the Melbourne Aces, the back-to-back Australian Baseball League champions in 2020 and 2021, announced they’re withdrawing from the league.
The team announced the move in a statement due to “unresolved concerns” with the league, saying they’ll be playing in the Ulsan-KBO Fall League from October 15 to November 2. It will consist of five Korean teams and five teams outside of Korea. It is a developmental league for potential future KBO players.
The Aces have exhibition games scheduled against KBO teams set for January and February 2026. Those matchups will be announced at a later date.
The Aces led the ABL in attendance for a second straight year this past winter, and the quality of the play in the ABL had never been better, but the Aces’ withdrawal halts a lot of momentum for the ABL and Australian baseball as a whole, as the league is down to five teams and losing its biggest draw.
For the Aces, this removes any chance for the home fans in Melbourne to get to see meaningful games at home. They’ll have to travel to Korea to watch their favorite team, and games at home against KBO teams will be against teams who are early in spring training with little to play for. Losing natural rivalries and not having meaningful games at home can only be seen as a big blow to fans in Melbourne.
Image: Melbourne Aces logo.
