Like an oasis in our collective sports desert, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the South Korea's top-flight baseball championship, the KBO League, landed on American shores courtesy of ESPN. At approximately 1 a.m. ET, the first pitch of a new KBO season was thrown, with the NC Dinos eventually going on to defeat the Samsung Lions 4-0 in the much-anticipated season opener. It was the first actual, professional baseball to hit U.S. TV since Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, but let's be totally honest with each other: Even without your absurd commute and helicopter boss, you probably didn't stay up for it.
And that's totally OK! Some doctors even say sleep is more important for the human body than baseball. But if you did it miss it, you're not only missing out on baseball, you're missing out on a true cinematic experience—The Godfather and Rookie of the Year rolled into one captivating ball of awesome. Don't believe us? Just take a look at some of the directing that brings the KBO to life game in, game out. Forget ESPN, this stuff belongs in IMAX.
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In South Korea, they get art. Here, we get Joe Buck. Needless to say, we've been watching baseball all wrong. So set those DVRs. Hook yourself to an espresso IV. Rub Tabasco in your eyes like the Green Berets. Do whatever you have to do. Because from now until whenever sports return (and perhaps beyond), the KBO is must-see TV.