"51 consecutive sellouts, yet still 400 fans short" — KBO's three-year streak of 300,000 postseason spectators may end just out of reach... It all hinges on Samsung's bid for a championship after 12 years [KS5 On-Site]

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Despite the remarkable feat of 51 consecutive sellouts, achieving 300,000 postseason spectators for the third consecutive year is no longer guaranteed. Korean professional baseball, which ushered in the era of its first-ever 10 million regular-season spectators in 2024 and has continued to set new box-office records for three straight years, left a precarious number on the line heading into what could be the final game of the Korea Series (KS), Game 5.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced on the 8th that all 23,550 tickets for Game 5 of the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO Korea Series (best-of-seven series) between the Samsung Lions and KT Wiz, held at Daegu Samsung Lions Park, had been sold out.

With this, this year's postseason has recorded 14 consecutive sellouts from the Wild Card Series through Game 5 of the Korea Series. The cumulative attendance stands at 299,600, leaving just 400 spectators short of surpassing the 300,000 mark. Across the entire postseason, this marks a staggering streak of 51 consecutive sellouts dating back to Game 1 of the 2023 Korea Series. Looking at the Korea Series alone, the run of sold-out crowds has continued for 26 consecutive games since Game 1 in 2022.

Whether the 300,000-spectator milestone will be reached depends on Samsung's championship outcome. Samsung defeated KT 10-5 in Game 4 of the Korea Series on the previous day (the 7th), taking a 3-1 series lead. After losing Game 1, the team won three straight games, leaving just one victory away from their first Korea Series title in 12 years since 2014.

In the history of the Korea Series, teams leading 3-1 after Game 4 have gone on to win the championship with a probability of 94.7% (18 out of 19 instances). Samsung took the field in full force, determined to clinch the title at home that day.

Conversely, if KT loses Game 5, this year's postseason will conclude as is. Another record—300,000 spectators for three consecutive years—could be derailed with just 400 fans to go.

The box-office success of the KBO League's fall baseball has continued steadily since 2024. In 2024, Korean professional baseball surpassed 10 million regular-season spectators for the first time in history. That year, a total of 353,550 people attended postseason games, maintaining the intense atmosphere. Last year, the regular season set a new all-time attendance record with 12,312,519 spectators, and 335,080 fans visited ballparks during the postseason as well. This marked the second consecutive year of surpassing 300,000 postseason spectators.

This year, a new history was written starting from the regular season. With a total attendance of 12,775,501, last year's record was broken within just one year. The league simultaneously achieved 10 million spectators for three consecutive years and 12 million spectators for two consecutive years. Notably, after surpassing 1 million spectators in just 14 days from the opening, all attendance milestones in increments of 1 million were reached in the fewest games on record. On August 26, the 10th million mark was surpassed in 565 games, and on October 1, the 12th million mark was broken in 684 games.

The box-office success was not concentrated solely among a few popular teams. An unprecedented record was set as eight out of the 10th clubs surpassed 1 million home spectators. One of them is KT. Entering the first division in 2015 as the 10th club in the KBO League, KT successfully attracted its 1 millionth home spectator with a cumulative attendance of 1,004,272, becoming the eighth team in KBO League history to achieve this milestone.

This enthusiasm carried over directly to fall baseball as well. Every game held during this year's postseason was sold out, and all games of the Korea Series between Samsung and KT were also sold out, from Games 1 and 2 in Suwon to Games 3 through 5 in Daegu. In particular, Samsung is a club that led the league in average regular-season attendance this year. With a championship after 12 years within reach, Daegu Samsung Lions Park was once again packed with 23,550 spectators that day.

The pre-game ceremony was also special. S.Coups (31), the overall leader of the group SEVENTEEN, known as a passionate fan of Samsung, took the mound as the ceremonial pitcher. A native of Daegu, S.Coups debuted with SEVENTEEN in 2015 and has consistently expressed his affection for Samsung through various broadcasts and social media. He was given the opportunity to take the mound and throw the first pitch at a Samsung home game where the team is just one win away from winning the Korea Series. Singer HYNN (Park Hye-won, 28) performed the national anthem.

If Samsung wins that day, the 2026 fall baseball season will conclude with a cumulative attendance of 299,600. That day, Samsung lined up its batting order as Kim Ji-chan (center fielder)-Park Seung-gyu (right fielder)-Koo Ja-wook (designated hitter)-Lewin Diaz (first baseman)-Choi Hyeong-woo (left fielder)-Kim Young-woong (third baseman)-Lee Jae-hyeon (shortstop)-Ryu Ji-hyuk (second baseman)-Kang Min-ho (catcher). The starting pitcher was Won Tae-in.

In response, KT set its batting order as Choi Won-jun (designated hitter)-Jang Jin-hyeok (right fielder)-Kim Hyun-soo (first baseman)-Sam Hilliard (center fielder)-Kim Min-hyuk (left fielder)-Ryu Hyeon-in (second baseman)-Heo Kyung-min (third baseman)-Han Seung-taek (catcher)-Kwon Dong-jin (shortstop). The starting pitcher was Daniel Davis.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original