Dodgers, Padres to open 2024 season in Seoul

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The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will open the 2024 season with a two-game series in the South Korean capital of Seoul, Major League Baseball announced on Wednesday.

Held on March 20–21, 2024, the game will be the first MLB match in South Korea. As the game is held over a week before the start of the regular season, the Dodgers and Padres will have enough time to return to the U.S. and prepare for their upcoming games.

A highlight of the game is the return of Ha-Seong Kim, a current infielder for the San Diego Padres, to his home country. He is one of the country’s most popular players, having starred in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) with the Nexen/Kiwoon Heroes franchise from 2014 to 2020. He also won three consecutive Gold Gloves from 2018 to 2020.

South Korea has ties with more than just the Padres. The Dodgers had several Korean players on their roster as well. These include pitcher Chan Ho Park, the first Korean player to appear in an MLB game in 1994, and pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who currently plays for the Toronto Blues.

“We can’t wait to play meaningful games for the very first time in front of the outstanding baseball fans of South Korea next season,” said Dodgers president and chief executive Stan Kasten.

Ninth overseas season opener

This will be the ninth time MLB opens the regular season overseas. The most recent one was in 2019, when the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners played a two-game set in Tokyo, Japan.

Apart from the season opener, MLB also announced three international games for next year. The Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will face off in a two-game series in Mexico City on April 27–28. Following that, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will meet in a two-game series in London on June 8–9.

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will also play two spring training games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on March 9 and 10.

“We are thrilled that our fans across four different countries outside the United States and Canada will have the opportunity to see the game’s stars,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred.

With the newest agreement between MLB and MLBPA, up to 24 regular-season games and 16 exhibitions will be played in other countries through the 2026 season.