Why are Dodgers, Padres playing in Korea? Explaining MLB’s Seoul Series before 2024 Opening Day
It’s officially baseball season — for two fan bases, that is. While the rest of MLB’s 30 teams wait patiently to begin the regular season, the Dodgers and Padres are getting started in South Korea.
The meeting between two NL West rivals comes with no shortage of intrigue. It starts with megastar Shohei Ohtani, who will make his formal debut with the Dodgers on Wednesday. His Dodgers debut will overshadow two more intriguing debuts for Los Angeles, as Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are in line for starts after landing with the organization in the offseason.
The new-look Padres won’t have Juan Soto or Blake Snell at their disposal, but the anticipation for San Diego’s season has risen as a result of the team’s trade for Dylan Cease. Cease won’t pitch in Korea, but he won’t be far behind for a Padres team that is still looking to contend despite an otherwise quiet winter.
Here’s what you need to know about the Seoul Series as the 2024 MLB season begins.
LIVE: Follow Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers debut in Korea
What is the Seoul Series?
The Seoul Series is a two-game set between the Dodgers and Padres in South Korea.
Yes, both games count toward regular season results. While MLB’s “official” Opening Day isn’t until later in the month, each game is a regular season contest for the Dodgers and Padres, who have already played some exhibition games against other teams since arriving in Korea.
That means Wednesday will mark Ohtani’s official Dodgers debut and could be the start of an MVP season for one of Los Angeles’ three superstars at the top of the lineup.
Here’s what you need to know about why the season is starting in Seoul.
Why are the Dodgers and Padres playing in Korea?
The Seoul Series represents MLB’s first-ever regular season games in South Korea. The league has been going global for some time, however. This isn’t the first time the regular season has started overseas, as MLB has played March games in Tokyo in five different seasons and started the 2014 season in Australia.
The regular season last started overseas in 2019 when the Mariners and Athletics played in Tokyo a week before Opening Day. An international start wasn’t possible in any of the past four seasons because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2022 lockout, and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. With those circumstances out of the way, MLB is going international in what undoubtedly will continue to be a trend to start certain seasons.
Why the Dodgers and Padres? “These two teams are a perfect match,” MLB vice president of global events Jeremiah Yolkut told The Athletic, between their rivalry and the presence of Korean standout Ha-Seong Kim on San Diego’s roster. The Padres also added Korean reliever Woo-Suk Go in the offseason, though that came after the Seoul Series was scheduled.
The Dodgers and Padres are playing early enough that they both will be back in time to play on Opening Day, so all 30 teams are still set to play (weather permitting) on what can only be called a baseball holiday.
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When is Dodgers vs. Padres?
- Date: Wednesday, March 20
- First pitch: 6:05 p.m. ET
The first game of the 2024 MLB season will begin on Wednesday, March 20 at 6:05 a.m. ET, the same start time as the latter game of the series on Thursday.
While it’s an odd time for anyone in the U.S., that’s a standard 7:05 p.m. first pitch in Korea. Seoul is 13 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast and 16 hours ahead of the West Coast, meaning Dodgers fans and Padres fans will have to be awake at odd hours to see their teams play.
Seoul Series first pitch
The ceremonial first pitch on Wednesday will be thrown by former Dodgers and Padres pitcher Chan Ho Park.
Park stands as one of the most successful Korean-born players in MLB history, as he enjoyed a 17-year career from 1994-2010. His first eight seasons were spent with the Dodgers, a stretch that included an All-Star appearance.
Park posted a 3.77 in Los Angeles and later spent parts of two seasons with the Padres, so it makes sense that he gets the nod before the first-ever MLB game played in his home country.
When is Opening Day 2024?
Opening Day is Thursday, March 28. While no MLB season has started before Opening Day since 2019, it’s common for an international series to occur well before the rest of the league gets underway.
The Dodgers and Padres will both play on Opening Day. Los Angeles will host the Cardinals, while San Diego will host the Giants. Each team is hoping to have two wins in the win column by Opening Day, something most teams can’t say in any season.
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Opening Day schedule 2024
Here’s the complete Opening Day schedule, with games set to begin one week after the Seoul Series between the Dodgers and Padres wraps up.
Thursday, March 28
| Game | Time (ET) |
| Brewers at Mets | 1:10 p.m. |
| Angels at Orioles | 3:05 p.m. |
| Braves at Phillies | 3:05 p.m. |
| Nationals at Reds | 4:10 p.m. |
| Giants at Padres | 4:10 p.m. |
| Cardinals at Dodgers | 4:10 p.m. |
| Blue Jays at Rays | 4:10 p.m. |
| Twins at Royals | 4:10 p.m. |
| Tigers at White Sox | 4:10 p.m. |
| Pirates at Marlins | 4:10 p.m. |
| Yankees at Astros | 4:10 p.m. |
| Cubs at Rangers (ESPN) | 7:35 p.m. |
| Guardians at Athletics | 10:07 p.m. |
| Rockies at Diamondbacks | 10:10 p.m. |
| Red Sox at Mariners | 10:10 p.m. |
