By Dong Sun-hwa





New baseball-themed drama "Hot Stove League" is gaining popularity.







The latest episode aired Saturday garnered 11.4 percent viewership, a significant rise from the first episode's 5.5 percent on Dec. 13.







The 16-part SBS TV series revolves around Baek Seung-soo, the general manager of pro-baseball team "Dreams." Baek, a cool-headed and analytical man, aims to reform the "tailender" team. Namkoong Min plays Baek and Park Eun-bin is Lee Se-young, Baek's co-worker.







Many viewers said the plot was interesting, as it deals with the intricacies in front offices during the so-called stove season, the winter downtime when no games are played but the teams scout new players and make trades in preparation for the new season.







They say the story also is easy to follow, allowing them to enjoy watching it without deep knowledge of baseball and its rules.







"Even Baek Seung-soo doesn't know much about baseball," Namkoong said about his character during a press event on Dec. 13.







But he said the drama nevertheless boasts a high-quality script and directing.







"Hot Stove League" airs Fridays and Saturdays at 10 p.m. (local time.)

