The Chronicle Herald (Provincial)
League kicks off with socially distant first pitch
INCHEON/SEOUL, South Korea — Lee Raon, a nineyear-old baseball fan, stood on the mound. But instead of throwing the ball, the boy, inside a giant clear balloon, walked towards the catcher in what was called a "socially distant first pitch" for South Korean club KT Wiz on Tuesday.
The ceremony marked the kick-off of South Korea's baseball league season after a five-week delay due to the global coronavirus pandemic, which has all but wiped the world's sporting calendar clean.
No fans were allowed in, and referees and coaches wore masks. Several clubs brought cheerleaders and major television networks aired the games, which would have otherwise been a treat for
Children's Day.
With Major League Baseball on hold amid the pandemic, ESPN and Japanese sport website SPOZONE have sealed a deal to broadcast Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) games. Mookie Betts, an outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers, shared on social media a video celebrating the KBO opening and introducing some players.
"We've been stuck at home long enough but I'm so excited to see the game," said Kim Su-hong, a 27-year-old firefighter and fan of SK Wyverns, who watched the match with his colleague from his home in Incheon, west of Seoul.
"If not for the coronavirus, I would've been in the stadium with my wife and daughter. But for now, we're going to make a bet for beer after the game."
Widespread testing, intensive contact tracing and tracking apps have enabled South Korea to limit the impact of the coronavirus rather than rely on the long lockdowns seen elsewhere.
In Seoul, as LG Twins played Doosan Bears in a popular annual Children's Day Derby, the club live broadcast cheerleading on its Youtube channel and a smartphone app run by its telecom affiliate, LG Uplus, where fans could also participate in online events.