Kim Rae-won and Park Hoon's "Full Count" to Premiere This Coming February, Succeeding "Stove League"

SBS, the powerhouse behind baseball dramas that led the "Stove League" syndrome, is returning with a new baseball drama for the first time in eight years.

The new SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Full Count" (written by Park Myeong-rang, directed by Ham Jun-ho) has confirmed its broadcast schedule for next February, kicking off full-scale preparations for its premiere.

"Full Count" depicts the survival struggle of individuals who risk everything in a sports battlefield filled with scheming and plotting to claim the throne of professional baseball manager. By securing a February timeslot—a month without professional baseball—when fans eagerly await the opening of the baseball season, it aims to heat up the small screen.

In particular, the powerful casting lineup is drawing anticipation. Actor Kim Rae-won, returning to the small screen after four years, and actor Park Hoon, known for his intense presence, will engage in a fierce acting showdown.

Kim Rae-won plays Hwang Jin-ho, the acting manager of the popular baseball team "Stars," which is on the verge of missing the fall postseason. As a battery coach who started out as a backup catcher and was recognized for his coaching abilities, Hwang has lived as an outsider within the team due to the exclusive atmosphere of the "Stars," which heavily values a pure-blooded lineage. He gets caught up in a fierce whirlwind after sitting in the "poisoned chalice" of the acting manager position.

Park Hoon plays Cho Dong-hee, a pitching coach who is a legendary pitcher for the "Stars" and the top candidate for the next manager. Harboring a lack of championship titles despite his glittering career, he opposes competing for the manager position against Hwang Jin-ho, a former second-tier player, and reveals his ambition to ascend to the throne.

Attention is focused on whether SBS's new Friday-Saturday drama "Full Count," which portrays meticulous tactical battles and power struggles unfolding in the dugout as well as victories on the ground, will capture viewers' hearts just like "Stove League," which created a baseball craze on the small screen amid syndrome-level popularity in 2019.

Reporter Kang Sun-ae

(SBS Star News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.