For the first time in its 42-year history, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) surpassed 6 million fans in the first half of a season.
The KBO announced 64,201 fans attended five games across the nation Thursday, as the first half of the 2024 season came to an end. That brought the total attendance for the season to 6,057,323.
The league surpassed the 6-million mark in a record 418 games, one fewer than the 2012 season. It puts the league well on pace to shatter the single-season record of 8.4 million fans set in 2018.
On Thursday, 19,372 fans watched the Doosan Bears host the Lotte Giants at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. Also in the nation’s capital, Gocheok Sky Dome drew 12,819 fans for the game between the LG Twins and the Kiwoom Heroes.
The first-place Kia Tigers defeated the home team Samsung Lions 8-3 in front of 17,093 fans at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in the southeastern city of Daegu.
The game between the KT Wiz and the Hanwha Eagles had 8,330 fans on hand at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in the
central city of Daejeon. Changwon NC Park in the southeastern city of Changwon had the smallest crowd on Thursday, with 6,587 fans watching the NC Dinos host the SSG Landers.
The league is averaging 14,491 fans per game so far this season. All 10 clubs are averaging over 10,000 fans per game and they have all enjoyed an increase in home attendance from last year.
The KBO has already set a record with 116 sellouts, three more than the entire 2012 season.
The 2024 season will resume next Tuesday.
Source: Yonhap News Agency