First pitch for the 2024 Opening Day game between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers is scheduled for 3:05 a.m. PT on Wednesday, March 20. That amounts to a 7:05 p.m. start time in Seoul for the first game of the 2024 regular season.
The start time for the finale on March 21, which is a Dodgers’ home game, also is at 3:05 a.m.
The Padres and Dodgers are opening the MLB season in South Korea as part of the MLB World Tour 2024. In addition to the Seoul Series, it includes games in Mexico City (Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies) and London (New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies).
The last time Opening Day of an MLB season was held outside of the United States and Canada was in 2019, when the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners played in the Tokyo Series.
“We can’t wait to play meaningful Major League games for the very first time in front of the outstanding baseball fans of South Korea next season,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.
“The Dodgers have a long and proud history of helping to grow the game abroad, highlighted by our trips to Mexico, China and Australia. It’s very exciting to add Korea to the list. I know our players are thrilled to put their talents on display in a country so rich with baseball tradition and talent, including former Dodgers Chan Ho Park, Hee-Seop Choi and Hyun-Jin Ryu.”
Chan Ho Park was the first native of Korea to play in the Majors when he made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in 1994. Along with Park, Hee-Seop Choi (2004-2005) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (2013-2019), Jae-Wong Seo (2006) is another South Korean native who played for the Dodgers.
What South Korea stadium will Dodgers play in?
The Padres and Dodgers are due to play the Seoul Series at Gocheok Sky Dome.
Jamsil Baseball Stadium, home to the Doosan Bears and LG Twins, is the largest baseball venue in South Korea with a capacity of 25,000. The outdoor stadium opened in 1982.
The newest baseball stadium in South Korea is Changwon NC Park, which is located in Changwon, opened in 2019 and has a capacity of 22,112.
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