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2021 KBO League season

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2021 KBO League
LeagueKBO League
SportBaseball
DurationApril 3 – October 31
Number of games144 per team
Number of teams10
TV partner(s)KBS, MBC, SBS, SPOTV, ESPN
Regular Season
Season championsKT Wiz
Season MVPAriel Miranda (Doosan)
Postseason
Wild Card championsDoosan Bears
  Wild Card runners-upKiwoom Heroes
Semi-playoffs championsDoosan Bears
  Semi-playoffs runners-upLG Twins
Playoffs championsDoosan Bears
  Playoffs runners-upSamsung Lions
Korean Series
ChampionsKT Wiz
  Runners-upDoosan Bears
Finals MVPPark Kyung-su
KBO League seasons

The 2021 KBO League season, also known by naming rights sponsorship as 2021 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League (Korean2021 신한은행 SOL KBO 리그), was the 40th season in the history of the KBO League.

At the conclusion of the regular season, all five playoff positions were undecided going into the final day of the schedule. The Samsung Lions and KT Wiz met in a tiebreaker game to decide the regular season champion, the first such game since 1985.[1] The NC Dinos became the first defending champion to miss the playoffs since the Kia Tigers in 2010,[2] while the Doosan Bears qualified for the seventh consecutive year. In the postseason, the Korean Series was won by KT Wiz, who defeated the Doosan Bears who had advanced the championship series as a wild card.

2021 also marked the first KBO season for the SSG Landers, formerly known as the SK Wyverns.

Season format

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The KBO is a 10-team league. Each team plays 144 games, facing the other nine teams 16 times apiece. Games are declared ties after 12 innings (15 in the postseason), and those contests have no bearing on a team’s winning percentage. Five teams make the playoffs, where the league uses a step-ladder format; the fifth- and fourth-placed teams battle in a Wild Card round, the winner faces the three seed, and so on. Teams are limited to three foreign players each. Only two such players are allowed in the lineup at any one time, so teams generally roster two pitchers and one position player.[3]

Standings

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Regular season standings[4]
Rank Team GP W L D Pct. GB Postseason
T-1** KT Wiz 144 76 59 9 .563 Korean Series
T-1* Samsung Lions 144 76 59 9 .563 Playoff
3 LG Twins 144 72 58 14 .554 Semi-playoff
4 Doosan Bears 144 71 65 8 .522 Wildcard Game
5 Kiwoom Heroes 144 70 67 7 .511 7
6 SSG Landers 144 66 64 14 .508 Did not qualify
7 NC Dinos 144 67 68 9 .496 9
8 Lotte Giants 144 65 71 8 .478 11½
9 Kia Tigers 144 58 76 10 .433 17½
10 Hanwha Eagles 144 49 83 12 .371 25½

*Samsung Lions hosted tiebreaker game by virtue of head-to-head record with KT Wiz (9-6-1)

**KT Wiz won against Samsung Lions 1-0 in the tiebreaker game

Postseason

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Wild Card

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The series started with a 1–0 advantage for the fourth-placed team.

Doosan Bears (2) vs. Kiwoom Heroes (1)

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 November 1 Kiwoom Heroes – 7, Doosan Bears – 4 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 4:09 12,422 
2 November 2 Kiwoom Heroes – 8, Doosan Bears – 16 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 3:52 9,425

Semi-playoff

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LG Twins (1) vs. Doosan Bears (2)

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 November 4 Doosan Bears – 5, LG Twins – 1 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 4:05 19,846 
2 November 5 LG Twins – 9, Doosan Bears – 3 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 4:10 21,679 
3 November 7 Doosan Bears – 10, LG Twins – 3 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 3:40 23,800

Playoff

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Samsung Lions (0) vs. Doosan Bears (2)

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 November 9 Doosan Bears – 6, Samsung Lions – 4 Daegu Samsung Lions Park 3:28 22,079 
2 November 10 Samsung Lions – 3, Doosan Bears – 11 Jamsil Baseball Stadium 3:45 22,109

Korean Series

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KT Wiz (4) vs. Doosan Bears (0)

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 November 14 Doosan Bears – 2, KT Wiz – 4 Gocheok Sky Dome 2:51 16,200 
2 November 15 Doosan Bears – 1, KT Wiz – 6 Gocheok Sky Dome 2:38 12,904 
3 November 17 KT Wiz – 3, Doosan Bears – 1 Gocheok Sky Dome 3:26 13,312 
4 November 18 KT Wiz – 8, Doosan Bears – 4 Gocheok Sky Dome 3:45 13,796

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Yoo, Jee-ho (30 October 2021). "With 1st place at stake, Lions and Wiz to clash in KBO tiebreaker game". Yonhap News Agency. Archived from the original on 2021-10-30. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. ^ "Dinos fail to reach playoffs, lose chance to defend KBO title". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  3. ^ Gawlowski, Brendan (April 2, 2021). "Presenting a 2021 KBO Preview". fangraphs.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-02. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
  4. ^ "Team Standings". mykbostats.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-27. Retrieved October 27, 2021.