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A former second-string player who refuses to stay in the shadows. In the first teaser for « Full Count », Kim Rae-won displays unwavering determination. This SBS sports drama, set to premiere in February 2027, delves into the cutthroat world of professional baseball, where the race for the manager's position is played out as much in the hallways as on the field.
An Underdog at the Helm of the Stars
Kim Rae-won plays Hwang Jin-ho, the catchers' coach for the Stars. A former backup catcher, he never stood out as a player, but has established himself as an excellent coach.
Problem: The Stars prioritize players who came up through the club’s system. Hwang Jin-ho has always been an outsider within the organization. When he’s given the job of interim manager—just as the team is in danger of missing the playoffs—the opportunity feels more like a trap than a gift.
The teaser takes us on a roller-coaster ride through «fall baseball,» the term used in Korea to refer to the end-of-season playoffs. Wins, losses, tension in the locker room: every game can change everything.
In it, Hwang Jin-ho candidly acknowledges his past. Yes, he was a second-string player. But why couldn’t he, too, succeed? This question sums up the obstacles he faces from those who see him as nothing more than a benchwarmer who became a coach by default. His conclusion leaves no room for doubt: he will do whatever it takes to win.
A promise with far-reaching consequences
This determination echoes the slogan on the first poster, unveiled in mid-October, in which the coach promised—no matter what—to lead his team to the fall baseball playoffs. It’s a risky commitment for an interim manager whose team is, in fact, in the process of losing its spot.
Opposite him, Park Hoon plays Jo Dong-hee, the club’s legend and the clear favorite for the manager’s position, who is determined not to let a former backup player steal his spot.
In the vein of «Stove League»
SBS clearly draws on the legacy of «Stove League,» the 2019 drama that sparked a veritable baseball craze among Korean viewers. «Fullcount» follows the same formula: it focuses as much on the competition on the field as it does on the strategic maneuvering and power struggles taking place in the dugout.
«Fullcount» will air starting in February 2027 on SBS, in the Friday and Saturday boxes.
