ESPN2 and the KBO have reached a deal that will see a lot of Korean baseball airing on The Deuce. The games will air on ESPN every Tuesday through Sunday.
The deal fills some holes in the ESPN schedule. Unfortunately, they aren’t the holes ESPN is most concerned about. Many KBO games will air live, which means American audiences will have to be awake in the wee morning hours to see them.
According to Brian Steinberg of Variety, the decision to broadcast the games in the overnight hours is part of ESPN’s commitment to cable and satellite providers. Those companies pay ESPN and other networks large fees for live sports. Making sure that the games are not seen on tape delay fulfills ESPN’s part of those deals.
“During this unprecedented and difficult time, I hope the KBO League can bring consolation to the communities and provide guidelines to the world of sports,” Korea Baseball Organization Commissioner Un-Chan Chung said in a prepared statement. “I am pleased that the KBO League can be introduced globally and hope this can be an opportunity for the development of our league and the sport.”
Josh Lindblom of the Milwaukee Brewers told Yahoo Sports that some American baseball fans will have to adjust their expectations of the game. KBO players tend to celebrate more and show more personality than Major League players typically do.
“You know what, don’t judge it. Just enjoy it,” the pitcher who spent four years pitching in Korea before returning to the Major Leagues said. “That’s exactly how I had to satisfy my mind.”
ESPN2 will use some of its biggest names to cover the games. Opening Day specials on May 6 and & 7 will see Karl Ravech and Eduardo Perez calling the action. Jon Sciambi, Jessica Mendoza, and Kyle Peterson will all be featured on future broadcasts. All of the talents will be commenting from their home studios.