Preseason exhibition games in the Korea Baseball Organization are right around the corner, and the South Korean league expects to begin its season in May.
With coronavirus cases on the decline — for three straight days, around 50 new cases were announced in the country — and social-distancing measures scheduled to be reduced further April 19, the 10-team league is planning to play games that count soon.
“The recent downward trend has obviously impacted our discussions,” KBO secretary general Ryu Dae-hwan said. “As long as we can start the season in early May, we’ll be able to finish everything by the end of November.”
Schools remain closed in South Korea until April 19. Ryu said if a sudden spike in positive tests happens, the KBO will not hesitate to hit pause.
“We’ll postpone the preseason. We may even make that call on the eve of the first games,” Ryu said.
The 144-game regular season had been scheduled to start March 28. Ryu said the league expects to complete the entire season once play begins.
