2023 KBO season to begin on April 1

Fireworks go off during the 2022 KBO All-Star game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul on July 16. [NEWS1]

The 2023 KBO season will start on Saturday April 1, the league announced Tuesday, with the 10 clubs each playing the standard 144 games.

Four of the five Opening Day games will be played in the greater Seoul area, with the Lotte Giants traveling to Jamsil Baseball Stadium in western Seoul to take on the Doosan Bears, the Hanwha Eagles headed to Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul to face the Kiwoom Heroes, the Kia Tigers heading north to Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon to play the reigning champion SSG Landers and the LG Twins taking on the KT Wiz at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

The sole game to take place outside the capital region will be between the NC Dinos and the Samsung Lions at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu.

The Opening Day venues were determined based on the final standing for the 2021 season, when KT finished first, Doosan second, Samsung third, LG fourth and Kiwoom fifth. Because LG and Doosan share a stadium, the Twins are on the road and the Landers get to take the fifth home spot.

One major change to the schedule for the 2023 season is the removing of two-game series.

In order to reach 144 games with a fair home-away split, the KBO has previously operated three-games series throughout the season with a switch to two-game series for the final few weeks of play.

Starting next year, the KBO will play the entire season as three-game series, with the exception of the two-game opening series starting on April 1.

Forty-four series have so far been scheduled per team, leading up to Sept. 10. The remaining 10 games per-team and rescheduled fixtures will be played after that date.

The removal of two-game series means it’s impossible for the KBO to ensure a fair home-away split for every team, so clubs will trade off having 73 home games and 71 away games one season, and 73 away and 71 home the next. In 2023, the Landers, Wiz, Giants, Bears and Eagles will each have 73 home games.

The All-Star game will be played on July 16, with the All-Star break from July 14 to July 20.

The KBO will not break for the Asian Games in September.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]