Semi-Playoff (JunPO)
Overview
The semi-playoff (JunPO; Korean: 준PO, 준플레이오프; Semi-Playoff) is the second gate of the KBO League postseason and refers to the series in which the regular-season third-place team faces the winner of the wild card game. It is played as a best-of-five series, and the winner competes with the regular-season second-place team in the playoff (PO) for a berth in the Korean Series. As the de facto 'main stage' of Korean professional baseball's fall baseball, it serves as the bridging role between the wild card and the playoff.
Key Details
Position in the KBO Postseason Structure
The KBO League postseason proceeds in stages according to the regular-season standings. The regular-season first-place team goes directly to the Korean Series, and the second-place team goes directly to the playoff. The third-place team and the fourth-place team (the wild card game winner) play the semi-playoff, and the winner faces the second-place team in the playoff; the playoff winner then faces the first-place team in the Korean Series. In other words, the semi-playoff can be described as the stage in which the 'waiting advantage' given to higher-ranked teams is most clearly revealed.
Format and Home-Game Allocation
The semi-playoff is held as a best-of-five series. The regular-season third-place team has the right to host Games 1, 2, and 5, while the fourth-place team (or the wild card winner) hosts Games 3 and 4. If a game ends in a draw, the series continues as is, and the first team to reach three wins advances to the playoff. Because the higher-ranked regular-season team secures home advantage along with a late-series home game (Game 5), the structure is designed so that the value of the regular-season ranking is actually rewarded in a short series.
Connection with the Wild Card Game
One of the semi-playoff berths is determined through the wild card game. The wild card game, in which the regular-season fourth-place and fifth-place teams face each other, is a short series in which the fourth-place team receives a one-win advantage: the fourth-place team needs only one win in two games to reach the semi-playoff, while the fifth-place team must win two consecutive games. For this reason, there are often cases in which a fifth-place team breaks through the wild card game and creates a stir in the semi-playoff, and this often serves as the basis for the saying that 'fall baseball does not go according to the standings.'
History and Changes
The semi-playoff was introduced in 1986 when the pro baseball postseason system was reorganized, and its format has changed several times since. It initially operated as a best-of-three series, and system revisions continued until the mid-2000s; from 2009 it was established as a best-of-five series. In 2015, with the creation of the wild card game, the path to the semi-playoff was diversified, and in 2023 the Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS) was introduced for all postseason games, greatly changing the operating environment of short series as well.
Strategy and Variables
In a best-of-five short series, the operation of the starting rotation decides the outcome. Because a Game 1 win often determines the overall flow of the series, the biggest question is whether to use the ace pitcher in Game 1 or save him until Game 5. In addition, the strong winds and lower temperatures peculiar to fall baseball stadiums and the tension unique to the postseason act as variables, and the general analysis is that minimizing bullpen consumption is advantageous in the latter part of the series.
Major Highlights
The semi-playoff is frequently cited as a 'stage of upsets.' As scenes of lower-ranked teams defeating higher-ranked teams and advancing to the playoff have been repeated, the semi-playoff has become established as a stage symbolizing a particular team's fall DNA. In addition, come-from-behind victories in the semi-playoff are often evaluated as the 'starting point of momentum' that leads to the playoff and the Korean Series.
Latest Trends
As of the 2024-2025 seasons, as regular-season ranking competition in the KBO postseason has become extremely fierce, the importance of the semi-playoff is growing further. As more teams play the wild card game and semi-playoff consecutively, managing starting-pitching consumption and bullpen fatigue has emerged as a key task, and clubs are trending toward preparing rotation adjustments and roster management for the postseason from the end of the regular season. As officiating infrastructure such as the Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS) and expanded video review has become more advanced, the pattern of variables in short series has also changed from the past, and in box-office indicators such as broadcast rights and attendance records, the semi-playoff is showing as much topicality as the regular season. In 2025, discussions on reorganizing the postseason schedule and broadcast methods are continuing, and marketing aimed at short-series box office is also strengthening.
Related Topics
- [[KBO League]]
- [[Postseason]]
- [[Playoff]]
- [[Wild Card Game]]
- [[Korean Series]]