Major League Baseball (MLB) is finally coming to Korea. The 2024 season opener of the Los Angeles (LA) Dodgers, a “star-studded” team including Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres and Mookie Betts, will be held in Seoul. It will be the first time the MLB office, which envisions the globalization of baseball, will host a season opener in South Korea.
MLB.com announced on Wednesday that the Dodgers and San Diego will play two regular-season openers in Seoul on March 20 and 21 next year. The venue has not been determined, but given the chilly weather in Seoul in March and the possibility of rain, it is likely to be at Seoul Gocheok Sky Dome. If the two teams meet there, it will be the first time in four years that Kim Ha-seong will play on his hometown team’s home field since 2020. “I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to represent MLB baseball with San Diego in my homeland,” said Kim. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to play in Korea in a San Diego uniform.” “It’s very special to be able to invite my teammates and coaches to Korea and experience this great opportunity,” he added. “I hope to see the Korean fans in Seoul.”
MLB Opening Day has been played overseas several times. Since its inception in 1999 in Monterrey, Mexico, there have been eight Opening Day games played overseas. Of these, Seoul is the second to be held in Asia after Tokyo, Japan.메이저사이트
In recent years, MLB games have been held abroad more frequently. Baseball has been called the national sport of the United States, but it has been criticized for lagging behind globalization. In response, the MLB office has been working to increase global interest by hosting MLB games overseas and the World Baseball Classic (WBC). In particular, as the National Football League (NFL) has successfully held the NFL International Tournament in Mexico and the United Kingdom, the MLB office is striving to elevate baseball to the status of a ‘global sport’ by holding not only the opening game overseas but also in-season games in Europe through the ‘London Series’ since last year.
The opening game in Korea is a similar endeavor. The two teams facing off in Seoul were chosen for their popularity in Korea. Kim Ha-sung’s San Diego games are broadcast live in South Korea. The Dodgers are no stranger to Korea, having been home to the first Korean major leaguer, Park Chan-ho, as well as Choi Hee-seop, Seo Jae-ng, and Ryu Hyun-jin (Toronto Blue Jays).
It’s a chance for baseball fans to see advanced baseball, and the two teams will be in Korea for as little as four or five days before the opening game. In the previous six events held in Tokyo, Japan, and Sydney, Australia, the participating teams arrived in Korea as long as a month before the game to prepare for the new season. During this time, the teams are likely to request practice games with domestic teams to maintain a sense of urgency. The KBO team will face off against the MLB team in a game. The pitch clock and video replay system will also be introduced to comply with MLB regulations.
The KBO also plans to organize the 2024 season’s exhibition game schedule by comprehensively considering the MLB office’s schedule for the next season’s exhibition games as well as the two teams’ visit schedules. A KBO official said, “We can only hold a friendly match with a domestic professional team if an MLB team requests it,” but added, “We will discuss with the MLB office once we have a specific schedule to create a good event.”