The new South Korean baseball season will open on March 23, more than a week earlier than last year, in consideration for an international tournament scheduled in November.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced its 2024 regular season schedule on Wednesday. All 10 clubs will be in action to start the 144-game season on March 23, eight days ahead of the 2023 schedule, and the goal is to crown the Korean Series champions before the end of October.
South Korea is scheduled to compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 in November.
With midseason weather disruptions, the Korean Series in 2023 ended on Nov. 13.
The 2019 season also began on March 23 to account for the Premier12 that November.
The top five teams from the 2023 season will host the opening series in 2024. The reigning champions LG Twins will host the Hanwha Eagles at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul.
Other matchups are: the Lotte Giants visiting the SSG Landers in Incheon, just west of Seoul; the KT Wiz hosting th
e Samsung Lions in Suwon, about 30 kilometers south of the capital; the Kia Tigers hosting the Kiwoom Heroes in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, and the NC Dinos hosting the Doosan Bears in Changwon, about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul.
Though the Bears were a top-five team last year, they share Jamsil with the Twins and were forced to start the new season on the road instead.
Teams will each play the first 134 games through Aug. 29 and will play all remaining games and makeup games in September.
The All-Star Game is July 6, and the midseason break has been cut short from seven days to four days, from July 5 to 8.
Source: Yonhap News Agency