Dodgers and Padres to open the 2024 season in Seoul

The ‘$700 million man’ Shohei Ohtani will first appear as ‘Dodger Man’ not in Los Angeles or Tokyo, but in Seoul.

According to Major League Baseball (MLB) in July, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres will open the 2024 season in Seoul, South Korea at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20 and 21 next year. The two-game Seoul series will be played as a home game on the first day for the Padres and the second day for the Dodgers. The MLB used to host eight season openers in four overseas cities to' globalize baseball.’

The Seoul series had been widely expected to be a triumphant homecoming event for Kim Ha-seong (28), who is playing for the Padres. With speculation that Lee Jung-hoo would join the Dodgers and Ryu Hyun-jin could return to the Dodgers, Korean fans' interest in the Seoul series had been growing. However, as Ohtani joined the Dodgers, Japanese fans' eyes also turned to the Seoul series. Ohtani and Padres starter Darvish Yu, hailing from Japan, could face off as pitcher and batter.


Kyu-In Hwang kini@donga.com