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KBO preseason to start this week amid WBC fever

Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 18:36

LG Twins players hold the Korean Series championship trophy at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Nov. 1, 2025. [YONHAP]

The preseason in Korean baseball is set to start this week, with the nation already caught up in World Baseball Classic (WBC) fever.

The KBO will begin its annual exhibition season at 1 p.m. Thursday with all 10 clubs in action. Teams will play 12 games apiece through March 24.

There will be no doubleheaders or extra innings, and rained-out games will not be rescheduled.

Many of the league's biggest stars are away in Miami, where the national team will play in the quarterfinals of the WBC Friday night.

Korea's first appearance in a knockout round at the WBC since 2009 is expected to make an already popular KBO even more so in the new season.

Last year, the KBO drew a record 321,763 fans in 42 preseason games, and the average of 7,661 fans was also a new preseason high.

The league then went on to establish a new regular-season attendance record with over 12.3 million fans, up from the previous mark of about 10.9 million from 2024.

The KBO said its new rules will apply during the preseason. The pitch clock, for instance, has been cut by two seconds: Pitchers now must deliver their pitches within 18 seconds with the bases empty, and 23 seconds with runners aboard.

Korea’s national baseball team celebrates after defeating Australia to secure a place in the quarterfinals during the final Group C game of the 2026 World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo on March 9. [YONHAP]

The KBO instituted a ban on infield shifts two years ago and added a new wrinkle to it for this year. If a fielder in an illegal spot touches a ball in play, then the batting team can choose one from the following options: Have the batter take first base, have a runner advance a base or let the play on the field stand. The fielder in this case will be charged with an error.

All weekday games are scheduled for 1 p.m. starts, except in cases where teams ask for evening slots so that their players can refamiliarize themselves with playing under the lights.

Some teams will play in their alternate home parks or minor league facilities while their main stadiums undergo last-minute renovations before the start of the regular season on March 28.

Preseason success, however, doesn't always translate to the regular season: According to the KBO, only six clubs went on to win the Korean Series title after also topping the league in exhibition games.

Yonhap