The Korea Baseball Organization on the 17th again laid out its rules for handling rain during the postseason, a day before Game 2 of the semi-playoff series between the KIA Tigers and the LG Twins.
Game 2 is set for the 18th at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, where rain is forecast for the afternoon.
"The postseason rain rules put the safety of players and spectators first," the KBO said, adding that it decides whether to play based on weather forecasts, field conditions and the time needed to prepare the ground.
Under the rules, if rain does not stop during a game, officials wait at least 30 minutes, as required by the baseball rulebook, before deciding whether to resume play or declare the game suspended. If more waiting is deemed necessary after 30 minutes, the final decision comes 50 minutes after the stoppage, weighing how long field preparation would take and the weather forecast beyond that point. When a game is halted more than once, the stoppage times are added together.
Even if it is not raining before the first pitch, officials may cover the field with tarps and delay the start if they expect a high chance that rain will interrupt play within the first 30 minutes.
Since last year, the KBO has dropped rainouts and rain-shortened called games from the postseason, relying solely on the suspended-game rule.
When a game is suspended, it resumes the following day from the point of stoppage, regardless of the inning, and only one game is played per day. Games originally scheduled are pushed back by a day. If the next day is a travel day, the remainder of the suspended game is played then, and the rest of the series is pushed back by one day.