The opening game of the Major League Baseball regular season will be held in Seoul next spring.
“The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego will play the regular season opener in Seoul on March 20-21, 2024,” Major League Baseball announced on its official website on March 13.
It will be the first time an official Major League Baseball game will be held in South Korea. San Diego, the home team of Korean major leaguer Kim Ha-seong, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, who have been home to the likes of Park Chan-ho and Ryu Hyun-jin in the past, were chosen because they have the most recognizable and loyal fan base in Korea. The venue has yet to be finalized, but it will reportedly be held at the Gochuk SkyDome, depending on the weather.안전놀이터
Major League Baseball has been promoting world tours to play regular league games in foreign countries in agreement with the players’ union for more than 20 years to “globalize baseball. Starting with Monterrey, Mexico, in 1999, it was followed by Tokyo, Japan, in 2000-2004, 2008-2012, and 2019, San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 2001, and Sydney, Australia, in 2014, and will hold the regular season opener in Seoul next year. It will be the second time Seoul has hosted an official Major League Baseball Opening Day in Asia, joining Tokyo.
“I know our players are excited to showcase their talents in South Korea, a country with a rich baseball tradition and talent, including players who have played for the Dodgers such as Chan Ho Park, Hee-seop Choi and Hyun-jin Ryu,” said Dodgers President Stan Castine.
Since the announcement, the Dodgers have had four South Korean players wear Dodger blue: Chan Ho Park (1994-2001, 2008), Hee-seop Choi (current KIA coach 2004-2005), Jae-ng Seo (current KIA coach 2006), and Ryu Hyun-jin (current Toronto 2013-2019).
“South Korea is a great baseball country with a rich tradition, passionate fans and talented players, including current San Diego fan favorite Ha-Sung Kim. We are proud to join the Dodgers as ambassadors for global baseball in the historic 2024 Seoul Series.”
Major League Baseball will embark on four world tours in 2024, beginning with the Seoul Series, followed by the Mexico Series (Houston-Colorado) on April 28-29, the London Series (New York Mets-Philadelphia) on June 9-10, and the Dominican Republic Series (Boston-Tampa Bay) on March 10-11 during exhibition play.