KBO Korean Series Odds and Predictions

The field is set for the 2024 KBO League playoffs. The Kia Tigers enter the tournament with the best KBO title odds for 2024, but if they win it’d be their first championship since 2017.

Kia does appear to have a team capable of going the distance, but the latest KBO League title odds aren’t so far apart that they look like a lock. Of course, you do need to factor in more than just pricing when betting on who will win the 2024 KBO championship.

Whoever wins needs elite pitching and timely offense, and they probably need to survive a near-fatal game or two along the way. So, who will hoist the trophy when the 2024 KBO playoffs end? Let’s look at the latest odds and find out.

2024 KBO Title Odds

Bet365 is among the few sports betting sites offering odds for the Korean Series this year.

KBO Title Odds	KBO Title Odds
Kia Tigers -120	Samsung Lions +225
LG Twins +500	Doosan Bears +1100
KT Wiz +2000	SSG Landers +2000

The 2024 KBO championship odds are pretty fun, to be honest. You have the current betting favorite in the Tigers and a likely challenger in the Lions, but otherwise it feels fairly wide open.

Logic would suggest that betting on a longshot like the Wiz or Landers may not be the best course of action, but this is a six-team tourney. You truly never know what will happen.

That said, the best team during the regular season does tend to win this thing. That’s been the case the last three years. Heck, it’s gone that way eight times over the last decade. It very well could happen again in 2024.

But will it?

If you’re wondering how to bet on the KBO playoffs – or trying to predict this year’s champ – let’s go over why Kia is a good bet, and why some other teams could be worth backing.

Why Are the Kia Tigers Favored to Win the 2024 KBO Title?

They’re the best team in the KBO League, is why. As noted, the team with the best regular season record usually wins, and Kia led the league with an 85-54 record this season.

They won 61% of their games, and the next closest team was the Samsung Lions (78 wins with a 55% win percentage). To nobody’s surprise, the Lions are right behind Kia in terms of odds at most sportsbooks.

Back to the Tigers, though. They racked up all of those wins due to an elite offense. They paced the KBO League in runs scored (836), home runs (162), and batting average (.301). They even had the fewest strikeouts of any team (889).

I could go on about their offensive advantage. Truth be told, if their bats show up in the KBO playoffs like they have to this point, it won’t really matter what they do defensively.

Fortunately, their defense is also very good. They had the best combined ERA (4.36) during the regular season, the fewest runs allowed (611), and they even finished tied for second in total strikeouts (1,107).

Across the board, this team is loaded. They appear to be quite a strong betting favorite, and it’s a little shocking that their price isn’t less appealing to sports bettors.

Top 2024 KBO Title Contenders

Kia does seem to be more imposing than the KBO odds would suggest, but it always pays to take a close look at any viable contenders.

Samsung Lions +225

As mentioned, the Samsung Lions have the second best odds to win the KBO title this season, and they make sense as the top challenger.

The Lions posted the second best record in the league in 2024, and they were one of the nastiest offenses to go up against. They smashed 183 long balls over the fence this season, which was 14 more than the next closest squad.

Ja Wook Koo was responsible for 33 of those dingers, which ranked him fourth in KBO for individual homers. Teammate Young Woong Kim (28) wasn’t far behind, helping to give the Lions two mashes inside the top 10 for the year.

This team wasn’t only about the long ball, of course. Samsung was still a top-5 unit in runs scored, and they drew the third most walks.

The Lions balanced out their offensive power with solid defense, too. They allowed just 657 runs during the regular season, which ranked third in the Korean Baseball League. Their pitching also allowed the fewest runs on the year, while posting the second best ERA (4.64) of any team.

Samsung did get by with the second fewest strikeouts in the KBO, though. That, combined with the fact that they were not always the most consistent team in terms of contact and getting on base, does make them feel like a somewhat flimsy challenger.

Still, not everyone is the Kia Tigers. Relative to the rest of the KBO League, the Lions were very good and they were flat out dominant at preventing runs and blasting balls into the bleachers.

LG Twins +500

The Twins are an interesting case. They own the third best KBO betting odds, which is a little interesting considering they have a chance to repeat as KBO champs.

The KBO League has admittedly not seen a repeat winner since the Doosan Bears did it in 2015 and 2016, but LG seems quite capable of being the next team to accomplish the feat.

The Twins had the second best scoring offense in the KBO in 2024 (791 runs), and they managed to do that with the league’s second fewest home runs. It will be interesting to see if they can keep that up, even though it doesn’t feel super sustainable.

One thing that suggests they could, however, is the fact that they simply know how to get on base. They paced the KBO in walks (610!), and also registered the league’s third best OPS (.778). 

Just as important, they were a menace on the bases when they got there. This is one of the better base-running teams in all of KBO, as they had the second most steals (170).

LG was pretty darn good on the rubber, too. They owned the league’s third best ERA (4.65) and gave up the second fewest runs. I said they don’t hit a lot of homers, but they also give up the fewest (123).

The Twins have one of the more dominant pitchers in the league in Dietrich Enns (13-6, 157 strikeouts), while one of their other top arms – Young Chan You – had the 10th best ERA (3.06) on the year.

There is a real fear that the Twins won’t be able to sustain their offense without some much-needed power, but there’s no denying this defending camp looks like a viable contender – and a terrific value – at their +500 price tag.

Best 2024 KBO Championship Value Bet

There is a lot of solid value to be had when betting on the next KBO champion. On one hand, the favored Kia Tigers are in fine company, as the team with the best regular season record seems to win almost all the time.

If that ends up being the case, getting the soon-to-be KBO champs at -120 is kind of insane. The defending champion Twins are also very interesting at +500. Either way you look at the top half of this tourney, you’re getting some solid bang for your buck.

You can always opt to throw caution to the wind and aim even higher, though.

If you’re going to do that, I’ll point you to what could be the best KBO value bet in the SSG Landers.

They weren’t dominant in terms of wins, as they were just 70-70. So in terms of where they fell in the standings – and the fact that “bad” teams don’t historically go on magical runs in this thing – they might be a bad bet.

However, there are things to like about the Landers. For one, they have one of the best power hitters in the league. Jeong Choi may be 37 years old, but he can still smack the ball around with the best of them, ranking third in long balls (35) in 2024.

His efforts helped SSG tie for fourth (149) in home runs, and if the bats swing for the fences come playoff time, it’s not impossible for it to lead to some big wins.

It will have to, of course, seeing as SSG allowed the most homers in 2024. The good news? They also struck more batters out than any other team in the KBO League.

In theory, if the Landers can hit it long and rack up the Ks, they could be a fun upset pick to win it all.

2024 KBO Title Predictions

Ultimately, I really do believe all roads lead back to the Kia Tigers. I’ve noted some solid contenders and some general value to consider, but Kia is the best team.

The dominance of the KBO Pennant winner goes on longer than just the past decade, too. If you slap everyone around during the regular season, the past tells us it’s very likely you’ll continue to do so once the KBO playoffs begin.

Kia is just the best overall team. Whether we’re talking offense or pitching, they have been the most productive overall, and I believe they’re the best bet to win this thing in 2024.

Want a little more insight before placing your bets? Read our guide on how to bet on baseball.

Past KBO Title Winners

Year	KBO Championship Winner	Korean Series Record	Won League Pennant?
2023	LG Twins	4-1	Yes
2022	SSG Landers	4-2	Yes
2021	KT Wiz	4-0	Yes
2020	NC Dinos	4-2	Yes
2019	Doosan Bears	4-0	Yes
2018	SK Wyverns	4-2	No
2017	Kia Tigers	4-1	Yes
2016	Doosan Bears	4-0	Yes
2015	Doosan Bears	4-1	No
2014	Samsung Lions	4-2	Yes