The Korea Professional Baseball League will kick off its regular season with its first set of games on Saturday.

The seven-month season is projected to draw more than seven million fans, a record among any professional sports league in Korea.

The 2012 season starts with four games at 2 p.m. Saturday in four cities.

The defending champion Samsung Lions will open at home against the LG Twins in Daegu.

The Kia Tigers will face the SK Wyverns in Incheon, while the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles open their seasons in Busan.

The Doosan Bears and the Nexen Heroes will square off at Jamsil stadium in Seoul.

The season will be more competitive than ever with the return players from leagues overseas and as the eight teams' level off in terms of performance.

Even exhibition games this year have filled a record number of seats.