2021 KBO League season

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

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

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

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
Regular season standings[4]
Rank Team GPWLDPct.GBPostseason
T-1** KT Wiz 14476599.563—Korean Series
T-1* Samsung Lions 144 76599.563—Playoff
3 LG Twins 144 725814.5541½Semi-playoff
4 Doosan Bears 144 71658.5225½Wildcard Game
5 Kiwoom Heroes 144 70677.5117
6 SSG Landers 144 666414.5087½ Did not qualify
7 NC Dinos 144 67689.4969
8 Lotte Giants 144 65718.47811½
9 Kia Tigers 144 587610.43317½
10 Hanwha Eagles 144 498312.37125½

*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

Wild Card

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

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

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1November 1Kiwoom Heroes – 7, Doosan Bears – 4Jamsil Baseball Stadium4:0912,422 
2November 2Kiwoom Heroes – 8, Doosan Bears – 16Jamsil Baseball Stadium3:529,425

Semi-playoff

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

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1November 4Doosan Bears – 5, LG Twins – 1Jamsil Baseball Stadium4:0519,846 
2November 5LG Twins – 9, Doosan Bears – 3Jamsil Baseball Stadium4:1021,679 
3November 7Doosan Bears – 10, LG Twins – 3Jamsil Baseball Stadium3:4023,800

Playoff

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

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1November 9Doosan Bears – 6, Samsung Lions – 4Daegu Samsung Lions Park3:2822,079 
2November 10Samsung Lions – 3, Doosan Bears – 11Jamsil Baseball Stadium3:4522,109

Korean Series
Main article: 2021 Korean Series

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

GameDateScoreLocationTimeAttendance 
1November 14Doosan Bears – 2, KT Wiz – 4Gocheok Sky Dome2:5116,200 
2November 15Doosan Bears – 1, KT Wiz – 6Gocheok Sky Dome2:3812,904 
3November 17KT Wiz – 3, Doosan Bears – 1Gocheok Sky Dome3:2613,312 
4November 18KT Wiz – 8, Doosan Bears – 4Gocheok Sky Dome3:4513,796

See also

References
  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". koreajoongangdaily.joins.com. 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.
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