4 players with Red Sox ties to watch as the Korea Baseball Organization starts live play
You can watch two former prospects play on ESPN this week.
South Korea’s Korea Baseball Organization returned to play Tuesday, two weeks after the Chinese Professional Baseball League opened up in Taiwan amid the coronavirus pandemic.
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As reported by The Associated Press, the KBO is playing games without fans in the stands, and players and coaches have their temperature checked before they enter the stadium. Umpires and base coaches must wear masks, and chewing tobacco, autographs, and high-fives are banned.
A positive coronavirus test from any team member will result in the league shutting down for at least three weeks.
Throughout the regular season, ESPN will air six KBO games each week, in English.
Here are the Red Sox connections to keep an eye on in the KBO, including two you can watch play live baseball this week:
Casey Kelly, RHP
A first-round pick by Boston in 2008, Kelly is the top former prospect among anyone playing in the KBO. According to MLB.com, Kelly was ranked as high as No. 22 on the league’s 2011 Top 50 prospects list before making his major league debut in San Diego in 2012. After undergoing Tommy John surgery, he played in the Braves and Giants organizations.
Kelly, 30, signed with the LG Twins last year, going 14-12 through 29 games with a 2.55 ERA.
Raul Alcantara, RHP
After two years in the Red Sox organization, Alcantara was traded to Oakland in 2011, where he spent seven years and made 13 major league appearances. He signed with the KT Wiz after the 2018 season, going 11-11 with a 4.01 ERA, and signed a one-year contract with the Doosan Bears in December.
Alcantara got the start on KBO Opening Day Tuesday, giving up the league’s first home run of the year in the third inning.
William Cuevas, RHP
Cuevas began his career with Boston’s Dominican Summer League team in 2009 and made his major league debut in 2016. After short stints with Detroit and Miami in 2017, he returned to Boston. Cuevas struck out 20 batters through 17 innings (nine games) for the World Series champions in 2018.
He made the move to Korea in 2019, and has since amassed a 13-10 record in 30 starts (3.62 ERA) for the KT Wiz.
Seung Song, RHP
Song played minor league baseball in the United States until 2006 after he signed with the Red Sox as an international free agent in 1999.
Since returning to Korea, he has played for the Lotte Giants, and made 11 appearances (4.40 ERA) last season.
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The Doosan Bears (Alcantara) will play the LG Twins (Kelly) on Wednesday, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 at 5:30 a.m. EST, re-airing at 2 p.m. Wednesday and 2:30 a.m. Thursday.
Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke’s nephew, Josh Roenicke, currently pitches for the CPBL’s Uni-President Lions. Some CPBL games are broadcast live on Twitter.
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