KBO finalizes schedule, Asian Games pose challenge for playoff race

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has confirmed the remaining game schedule for the 2026 season, encompassing 105 games, including makeup games for postponements due to weather or other reasons. The regular season is set to conclude on October 7th. The schedule has been complicated by the inclusion of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will require national team players to leave their clubs for a two-week period.

Game times will vary throughout the season. From September 1st to 14th, weekday games will start at 6:30 PM, with weekend and holiday games beginning at 5:00 PM. After September 15th, Sunday and holiday games will move to 2:00 PM. During the Chuseok holiday period (September 24th-27th), all games will start at 5:00 PM to facilitate travel.

Postponed games from August 25th to September 28th will be rescheduled on designated reserve days. If reserve days are unavailable, doubleheaders will be played on subsequent days with the same matchup. If no similar matchup exists, the game will be rescheduled later. Starting September 29th, doubleheaders will become more common, but teams will be limited to one doubleheader per team until October 5th.

One significant aspect of the remaining schedule is the possibility of teams playing up to nine consecutive games if postponed games are consolidated into reserve days or doubleheaders. The KBO's principle is to avoid scheduling doubleheaders during the Asian Games period (September 14th-28th). However, the absence of key national team players during this time could significantly impact team performance and playoff races.

Teams like the Doosan Bears, who will lose pitchers Kwak Bin and Choi Min-seok, and the Kia Tigers, who will be without Kim Do-young and Park Jae-hyun in their lineup, face considerable challenges. The KT Wiz will have to manage for two weeks without their 4th-5th starters (So Hyeong-jun, Oh Won-seok) and closer (Park Young-hyun). Games not affecting playoff teams may be played during off-days or even during the postseason. The final day of the regular season, October 7th, features matchups like Doosan vs. LG Twins and KT vs. Samsung Lions, leaving open the possibility for the league championship to be decided on the last day.