First Baseball Fan of 2020 Officially Enters Taiwanese Game in Major Step Forward

Major League Baseball has made tremendous strides in the last month amid its attempts to get the 2020 regular season started. The latest buzz suggests that the league will introduce a proposal for a restart timetable in the coming days, and that the campaign could get underway as soon as late June.

In more good news -- coupled with ESPN's daily broadcast of the KBO -- a Taiwanese game welcomed fans inside the stadium for the first time since COVID-19 began sweeping the globe, showing the CPBL truly is ahead of the field.

This is a significant step forward for not only baseball, but sports as a whole. Reports indicate that Taiwan's CPBL allowed spectators to attend games for the first time on Friday, and that each individual was carrying out the CDC's social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Up to 1,000 fans are now permitted inside each stadium in Taiwan. For the time being, they are prohibited from bringing food into the ballpark, and concession stands are still shut down.

The Taiwanese league opened on April 11 after a three-week delay caused by the pandemic. At that stage, only players and team personnel were authorized to enter the stadium. After almost a month of action, the CDC gave approval for 1,000 fans to purchase tickets.

It's far from ideal, but this is another reason for baseball fans to feel optimistic. Patience remains a necessity, but momentum is building. That much is certain.