Melbourne Baseball Team Quits ABL, Joins Korean League In Shock Move

The Melbourne Aces today announced they will withdraw from the Australian Baseball League (ABL), with the two-time Australian champions set to join the Korean Ulsan KBO Fall League in October.

The Melbourne Aces will continue to call the Melbourne Ballpark home despite their move to Korea

Team management revealed the shock move came after what the club called "years of discussions with the ABL regarding unresolved concerns", despite leading the ABL in attendance for the second consecutive season.

It comes after a summer of successfully hosting KBO opponents at Melbourne Ballpark, having defeated the KT Wiz 11-4 in February and the Hanwha Eagles ahead of their game against Team Australia in the International Baseball Showdown Series.

The Melbourne Aces have claimed two Australian titles in their short history

The Aces will play October entirely in Korea, followed by home matchups against "prominent KBO teams" in January and February 2026.

This won't be the first time the KBO Fall League has included overseas based teams, with the likes of Cuba's national team, Mexican Team LMB and the Jiangsu Hughes from China facing off in the nine-team competition in 2024.

The move brings into question the future of the now 5-team ABL, especially without a team in Australia's biggest city. The Sydney Blue Sox also remain without an owner.

Baseball Australia however are pushing on with the 2025/26 season's planning, having been informed of the withdrawal this morning

In a statement released by Baseball Australia, BA President, David Hynes AM said:

“The Aces have been major contributors to baseball for a significant period. It is a loss to see them withdraw from the league. We thank the Ralph family, and everyone involved in the Aces organisation for their contribution to baseball in Australia. The Aces have achieved tremendous success both on and off the field over many years.”

Speaking exclusively to Extra Time's Simone Wearne, Aces owner Brett Ralph said the decision was tough, but one they had to make:

“We’ve made our decisions, we have to do what we have to do. We wish them all the best with what they do,” he said.

“And if any of those teams should decide that they can’t continue as well, the fans will respect what they’ve done and how hard they’ve tried to make the teams successful in Australia.”

This article was updated on May 2, following Simone Wearne's May 1 interview with Brett Ralph and Jon Deeble on Extra Time.