As Major League Baseball continues working on a plan for the 2020 season, other leagues around the world are beginning to start up again. On Monday evening, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) kicked off its campaign with a slate of five Opening Day matchups.
Having recently struck a deal with Eclat Media Group to exclusively televise six KBO League games per week, baseball fans in North America were able to tune into ESPN to watch the NC Dinos take on the Samsung Lions.
Backed by three home runs and a strong outing from starting pitcher Drew Rucinski, the Dinos came away with a 4-0 victory over the Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park.
Prior to the action unfolding, Los Angeles Dodgers All-Star Mookie Betts took to Twitter to welcome back the return of KBO baseball:
Welcome back, KBO. We’re all watching!
KBO가 돌아왔다. 우리 모두 시청하겠습니다!Stay tuned for more to come!
앞으로도 많은 관심을 부탁 드립니다!
#KBO #Baseball #야구 #OpeningDay #개막전 #Hwaiting pic.twitter.com/HC4W0vEG2D— Mookie Betts (@mookiebetts) May 5, 2020
Betts, one of baseball’s biggest stars, helped introduce KBO to fans that may be unfamiliar with the league. He highlighted some of the top players and concluded the video with a “hwaiting” chant, which is a term used by South Korean fans to show support to their favorite teams.
Betts is only three months into his Dodgers tenure after being acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a blockbuster trade this past February.
While the 27-year-old is still relatively new to the organization, he credited his mother and Dodgers teammates for immediately making L.A. feel like home.
Betts has already made a positive impact on the clubhouse, delivering a motivational speech to the team during the first day of Spring Training.
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