Speed Reads

coronavirus and sports

Baseball is back — in Taiwan

Baseball fans, rejoice.

It will likely be a while before Major League Baseball returns, if it does at all this year, even with some far-fetched plans being discussed. But Taiwan, which has been praised for its ability to stem the novel COVID-19 coronavirus, was able to get the Chinese Professional Baseball League season started Sunday after rain postponed Saturday's expected opener. No fans were in the stands for Sunday's clash between the Chinatrust Brothers and the Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions in Taichung, but the empty stadium didn't diminish the significance of the moment for some fans.

The Korean Baseball Organization looks like it has the best shot at being the next league to return to the diamond, possibly in early May. The diminishing number of new coronavirus cases in South Korea even have some folks believing the KBO can pull off a full season.