ESPN set to air live KBO games

It’s going to be a while before San Francisco Giants fans get to watch MLB games again. But live baseball is back.

The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) is starting to bring sports back to the world during the coronavirus pandemic. The league is playing games without fans, and they’re coming to a TV near you.

On Monday morning, ESPN announced that they would be broadcasting live KBO games six days a week for the foreseeable future.

Baseball. Live baseball. Live baseball for you to watch.

It starts on Monday night, with the season-opener between the Samsung Lions and NC Dinos, at 10 p.m. PT.

Here’s the full schedule for the first week:

Monday, May 4: Samsung Lions vs. NC Dinos (10 p.m., ESPN)
Wednesday, May 6: Doosan Bears vs. LG Twins (2:30 a.m., ESPN2)
Thursday, May 7: Samsung Lions vs. NC Dinos (2:30 a.m., ESPN2)
Friday, May 8: Samsung Lions vs. KIA Tigers (2:30 a.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, May 9: NC Dinos vs. LG Twins (1 a.m., ESPN2)
Saturday, May 9: NC Dinos vs. LG Twins (10 p.m., ESPN2)

Obviously those times aren’t ideal for viewers in the US, but fear not, they will be replayed during the day, and available to rewatch on ESPN+.

The games will also have familiar broadcasting teams, albeit with the broadcast work done remotely. For this week, Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez are handling the first three games, Jon Sciambi and Kyle Peterson are tackling the fourth game, and Jon Sciambi and Jessica Mendoza are on the call for the final two.

The Giants have a few KBO connections. Jae-gyun Hwang, who played for San Francisco in 2017 (in his only MLB stop), is an infielder for the KT Wiz. Aaron Altherr, who had all of one plate appearance for the 2019 Giants, is on the NC Dinos. And franchise icon Matt Williams manages the KIA Tigers.

Darin Ruf is also listed on the Samsung Lions roster, though you’re gonna have to wait for actual Giants games to see him.