The LA Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, both of which are familiar to Korean baseball fans, will face off in Seoul next year.
The MLB Secretariat and the Players' Union (MLPBA) officially announced on the 13th that they will hold the MLB World Tour in four countries outside the United States and Canada during the 2024 MLB regular season.
Among the four countries where the MLB World Tour will be held, Korea was included. The MLB Secretariat said the Dodgers and San Diego will have their regular-league opening games in Seoul on March 20 and 21, 2024. Dodgers and San Diego teams also announced the Seoul series through their official SNS channels.
The Seoul Series is the ninth MLB regular season opening series in five years, held in 50 U.S. states and outside Canada. It is the third Asian region after Tokyo in Japan (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2019) and Sydney in Australia (2014).
The MLB World Tour event will host the 2024 regular season games in Mexico City and London, where the 2023 MLB regular season games were held as well as the opening games in Seoul. On April 27 and 28, 2024, the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies will play two games in Mexico City. The game between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies will then be held in London, England, on June 8 and 9. In addition to regular season games, spring training games between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays will be held in the Dominican Republic on March 9 and 10.
Dodgers and San Diego to play the 2024 MLB opening game in Seoul
Rob Manfred, MLB commissary, said, "I'm very excited about the various international games that will take place in 2024, and I'm very excited about the opening of the first season in Korea while laying the foundation for baseball around the world with another regular season game to Mexico City and London." 사설토토
MLBPA Chairman Tony Clark said, "Players are deeply interested in the growth of baseball around the world. The players, regardless of their region of origin, are connected with their passion for baseball beyond language, culture and nationality, he said. "Through the series announced today, baseball fans around the world will be able to see the unrivalled skills and passion that players show in every game." We are excited to expand our international presence in a new place and open up the games we all love."
Meanwhile, Kim Ha-sung, a Korean major leaguer from San Diego, also expressed his feelings on the club's official SNS. "When I joined, I never imagined there would be a chance to represent San Diego and Major League Baseball in my country," Kim Ha-sung said, expressing his overwhelming feelings, "I can't describe how happy and happy I am to be able to play in Korea in a San Diego uniform."
"I think it will be a very special and good memory to be able to invite our teammates and coaches to Korea and experience such a good opportunity," he said. "I would appreciate it if many San Diego fans came from Korea and cheered for us."
