It's ShoTime in Seoul this weekend as Major League Baseball rolls into town

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It's ShoTime in Seoul this weekend as Major League Baseball rolls into town

Published: 14 Mar. 2024, 16:05

JIM BULLEY
[email protected]

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a home run during the fifth inning of a spring training game against the Chicago White Sox in Phoenix, Arizona on Feb. 27. [AP/YONHAP]

Major League Baseball arrives in Korea next week for the first time in over a century as the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres jet into Seoul to play a series of exhibition games and the official opener to the 2024 big league season.

The Dodgers and Padres will arrive in Korea on Friday, with just a day to acclimatize themselves before they’re expected on the field at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul for the start of the exhibition games on Sunday — the Dodgers take on Gocheok hosts the Kiwoom Heroes at midday on Sunday and the Padres face the Korean national team at 7 p.m.

Both teams will be back to work on Monday when the Padres face reigning KBO champions the LG Twins at midday and the Dodgers take on the Korean national team at 7 p.m.

A promotional poster for the MLB Seoul Series and exhibition games [COUPANG PLAY]

After a day of training on Tuesday, the 2024 MLB season will officially begin on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The second game in the two-peat series will start at the same time on Thursday, wrapping up the Seoul Series schedule late that night.

The Wednesday-Thursday series will mark the first time that regular season MLB games have ever been played in Korea. The week of games will also be only the second time that official games organized by the MLB have been played in Korea — the last time an exhibition game was held here was over 100 years ago on the 1922 Asian Tour that included stops in China, Japan and Korea, which at the time was occupied by Japanese colonial forces.

Both the Dodgers and the Padres have large fan bases in Korea.

The Dodgers are one of the most popular teams in the country. Park Chan-ho, the first Korean-born player to ply his trade in the big leagues debuted with the Dodgers in 1994, and a number of other players including Ryu Hyun-jin later played for the club.

San Diego Padres' Kim Ha-seong adjusts his glasses in the dugout during a spring training baseball game against the Chicago White Sox in Peoria, Arizona on March 9. [AP/YONHAP]

The Padres are the current home of Gold Glove winner Kim Ha-seong, a versatile infielder and a huge star in Korea, and pitcher Go Woo-suk, who joined the team over the offseason after being a key part of the Twins’ title-winning squad last year. Park also played for the club at one point in his career and is now on the books as an adviser.

The Dodgers also bring new signee Shohei Ohtani, perhaps the most famous baseball player in the world, who joined the club on a 10-year, $700 million deal over the winter.

Mar 13, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani faces the Seattle Mariners during a spring training game in Phoenix, Arizona on March 13. [USA TODAY/YONHAP]

Ohtani is likely to make his first appearance for the Dodgers in Korea, while Go could become the first player ever to make their big league debut here.

Gocheok Sky Dome has gone all out to prepare for the arrival of the big leaguers, with new turf, new lights, newly-installed G-max shock absorbers and refurbished player lockers, cafeteria and sky boxes.

The newly revamped Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul provided. The Seoul Metropolitan Government said the domed baseball stadium has been refurbished ahead of Korea's first-ever opening of the MLB regular season on March 20 and 21. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

To really provide the big league atmosphere, the Dodgers and Padres are also bringing some of their stadium snacks, including the famous Dodger Dog from Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. To embrace the Korean side of the sport, the teams have also reportedly recruited local cheerleading teams to perform during the games.

K-pop girl groups aespa and (G)I-DLE will perform during the MLB games, aespa on March 20 and (G)I-DLE on March 21.

Broadcast staff in Korea will also include a roster of former big league royalty: Dodgers legend Park Chan-ho, who is rumored to be a contender to throw the first pitch in one of the games; former Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star and the first Korean to win a World Series Kim Byung-hyun; former Seattle Mariner and one of the KBO’s all-time most popular players Lee Dae-ho; and former St. Louis Cardinals and current SSG Landers pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun.

Special merchandise has also already gone on sale, with both F&F, the MLB’s local licensee, and New Era selling out of commemorative hats and clothing, including some items featuring hangul-ized versions of the two MLB clubs’ logos.

San Diego Padres relief pitcher Go Woo-suk jogs during spring training baseball workouts in Peoria, Arizona on Feb. 18. [AP/YONHAP]

Tickets, which are on sale exclusively through streaming service Coupang Play to customers with a Coupang Wow membership, initially sold out in minutes, but some are now available again for the exhibition games as of press time Thursday. The Seoul City government expects over 100,000 spectators to visit the venue over the weekend.

The MLB Seoul Series kicks off an exciting week for baseball in Korea, with the 2024 KBO season set to begin on March 23.

BY JIM BULLEY [[email protected]]