DKTV’s Daniel Kim reports that South Korea’s KBO is moving to begin its season on May 1st.
#KBO Update - Prime minister announced today that pro sports league will be allowed to start their season w/o fans in the stands. KBO teams are now preparing to start the season on May 1. Official official announcement is expected on Mon. There were only 8 new COVID19 cases yday
— Daniel Kim 대니얼 김 (@DanielKimW) April 19, 2020
The news comes after Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun’s announcement that sports can take place without fans present. Although the KBO has not officially set May 1st as its targeted date for resumed play, an announcement was already expected sometime early this week.
The KBO would be the second major league to resume play after Taiwan’s CPBL, which has already found itself to be something of an international source of interest. The Korean league is generally regarded as having a higher level of play. ESPN has already approached the KBO about possible broadcasting rights, as the network (and all sports media for that matter) are hurting due to the lack of live content.
For the uninitiated, the KBO is made up of ten teams and has generally had a high run-scoring environment. Games are usually lively affairs, although not having fans in the stands would likely change that. The Doosan Bears of Seoul are the reigning champions, and finished as the runners-up the two seasons prior to last.
Obviously, any baseball is more than welcome right now. The KBO is a pretty good time and it will be exciting if there’s a way to stream it.