With all 10 clubs back home after weeks of spring training overseas, the preseason in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is scheduled to begin Saturday.The exhibition campaign is set to wrap up on March 19, four days before the start of the regular season. Teams will have one day off next Wednesday.Most games will start at 1 p.m., and teams can ask the league to move games to 6 p.m. to help their players adjust to playing under the lights.There will be no extra innings or doubleheaders. Rained out games will not be made up.
The KBO return of Ryu Hyun-jin, the 2019 National League All-Star Game starter, has overshadowed other storylines in the leadup to the new season. Ryu rejoined the Hanwha Eagles on a massive eight-year, 17 billion-won ($12.8 million) contract last month, after 11 years in Major League Baseball (MLB). Ryu first pitched for the Eagles from 2006 to 2012 and was one of the KBO’s most dominant starters then.
Opposing teams and fans alike will keep a close eye on whether Ryu, who will turn 37 later this month, will still be as effective in his second go-around.Ryu will make his preseason debut Tuesday against the Kia Tigers and then make another appearance on March 17 against the Lotte Giants. Barring rainouts, Ryu will be lined up to start on Opening Day, March 23, against the defending Korean Series champions LG Twins.Teams will also have a chance to adjust to the new automated ball-strike system (ABS), which will be put in use for the first time this year.Colloquially called the robot umpire, the ABS uses tracking technology to determine balls and 카지노사이트 strikes, and then relays the call to the home plate umpire through an earpiece.
