Dodgers, Padres to play exhibition games in Seoul ahead of 2024 MLB opening series

The promotional poster for Major League Baseball World Tour's Seoul Series, pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Diego Padres on March 20 and 21, 2024, at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul is shown in this file photo, Dec. 1. Courtesy of Coupang Play

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres will each play two preseason games in Seoul before opening their 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season in the Korean capital next March, the games' organizers said Thursday.

Coupang Play, the Korean online streaming service and the official marketing partner of the MLB World Tour Seoul Series, said it will provide livestreams of the exhibition games for the two National League (NL) West clubs, in addition to their March 20-21 contests to open the new season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

These will be the first MLB regular season games ever to take place in Korea.

Opponents for the preseason games will be announced later, Coupang Play said. Teams in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Korea's top league, are expected to serve as sparring partners for the MLB teams.

The Padres feature Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong, the 2023 NL Gold Glove winner at the utility position. Kim, the first Asian-born infielder to win a Gold Glove, spent seven seasons with the KBO club Heroes and played his home games at Gocheok from 2016 to 2020. Kim will be back at his old stomping ground alongside his All-Star teammates Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.

The Dodgers boast a strong fan base in Korea. Former pitcher Park Chan-ho, the first Korean to play in MLB, made his big league debut with the Dodgers in 1994.

The team made the biggest splash this offseason by signing two-time American League most valuable player (MVP) Shohei Ohtani to a record 10-year, $700 million contract. Though the two-way sensation won't pitch in 2024 as he recovers from elbow surgery, Ohtani is expected to travel to Korea as designated hitter.

The Dodgers also boast three other former MVPs in pitcher Clayton Kershaw, first baseman Freddie Freeman and second baseman Mookie Betts. (Yonhap)