Dodgers vs. Padres in Korea: Everything to know as 2024 MLB regular season kicks off with Seoul Series

For the first time ever, Major League Baseball regular-season games are being played in South Korea. The NL West rival Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are beginning the 2024 season with a pair of games in Seoul, South Korea, starting on Wednesday. The games will be played at the Gocheok Sky Dome, home of the Korea Baseball Organization's Kiwoom Heroes.

"I'm really looking forward to it, learning more about the culture, the city," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at the Winter Meetings in December. "Obviously there's a lot of good ball players there, and so for us and the Padres to go over there and showcase and play two regular-season games, it's good for baseball. I'm excited."

This is the first time MLB will open the regular season with games played internationally since 2019, when the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners began the year in Tokyo. Those two games are notable for being the final two games of Ichiro Suzuki's Hall of Fame career. Here are the details for the two-game Seoul Series:

Both games will start at 7:05 p.m. local time in Seoul, so they're night games in South Korea and early-morning games in the United States. The Dodgers and Padres each played a pair of exhibition games against KBO clubs and Team Korea this past weekend to prepare for the Seoul Series. Both teams have also participated in youth clinics and other promotional events in recent days.

The Padres will serve as the home team on March 20, and the Dodgers will serve as the home team on March 21. Here are six things to know for MLB's first-ever Seoul Series.

1. Park will throw out the first pitch

Chan-Ho Park, the first Korean-born player in MLB history and also a former Dodger and Padre, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to the March 20 season opener.

Park, 50, made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in April 1994. He was an All-Star with Los Angeles in 2001 and he played parts of 17 seasons in the big leagues with seven different teams. Park went 124-98 with a 4.36 ERA in 1,993 MLB innings.

Park has been a special advisor in San Diego's front office since 2017.

2. It's a homecoming for Kim

Ha-seong Kim

SD • SS • #7

2023 stats

BA0.260

R84

HR17

RBI60

SB38

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Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim was born and raised just outside Seoul and, in addition to returning to his home country, is also returning to his home ballpark for the Seoul Series. He starred for the Kiwoom Heroes (previously Nexen Heroes) from 2014-20 and the Gocheok Sky Dome was his home stadium. Expect Kim to receive a hero's welcome at his old stomping grounds.

"I don't have a specific favorite moment," Kim told MLB.com last summer when asked about his time as a KBO player. "I remember all the games I played there. I can recall everything. I would say all the moments were great. I played hard and I'm proud of it."

It should be noted that the Gocheok Sky Dome has been upgraded this season. The building has new lights, new turf, and renovated clubhouses, among other things.

With the Heroes, Kim was a three-time Golden Glove winner, which is given annually to the best all-around player at each position. It's not strictly a defensive award. Kim, who is now playing shortstop for San Diego, authored a .294/.373/.493 batting line in seven KBO seasons. He signed a four-year, $28 million contract with the Padres in January 2021 and will be a free agent after 2024.

3. Each team will bring extra players

This is not exactly a surprise. The Dodgers and Padres will use a standard 26-man roster for the two Seoul Series games, though each team brought five extra players on the trip as potential injury replacements and also to play in those two exhibition games leading up to the Seoul Series. Here are the 31 players the Dodgers took to South Korea:

There was some question about whether Blake Treinen, who took a comebacker to the midsection last week, would be healthy enough to make the trip, but he is indeed on the travel roster. Treinen did not pitch at all last season as he recovered from shoulder surgery.

Now here are the 31 players the Padres have on the trip:

Note that Dylan Cease, who came over from the Chicago White Sox in a trade last week, is on the travel roster, though he is not scheduled to pitch. He had to fly to Seoul later after being traded too late to make the team charter.

4. A starter could pitch in relief

Michael King

SD • RP • #34

2023 stats

ERA2.75

WHIP1.15

IP104.2

BB32

K127

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Padres manager Mike Shildt said Michael King, who will be part of the rotation this season, will be available out of the bullpen for the Seoul Series. It's a two-game series with a seven-day break until the next regular-season game, so King won't be needed to start a third game because there is no third game in this series. Using him out of the bullpen makes perfect sense.

"I was pumped (when I was told I would be used out of the bullpen in Seoul)," King told MLB.com recently. "Because I really just want to pitch in that atmosphere. I'm sure it would've been a great atmosphere if I started one of those exhibition games (against a KBO team). But when the games matter, you want to pitch in the games that matter."

Pitching out of the bullpen will be nothing new for King, who came over from the New York Yankees in the Juan Soto trade. From 2022 through mid-August 2023, King was a dynamic setup man for New York, throwing 116 innings with 143 strikeouts and a 2.64 ERA. He then moved to the rotation and had a 1.88 ERA in eight starts to close out 2023.

5. More international games are coming

The Seoul Series is part of MLB's international push. It is neither the first nor the last set of international games MLB will play in 2024. The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays played two exhibition games in the Dominican Republic on March 9 and 10. Here's the rest of 2024's international slate:

The two Yankees vs. Diablo Rojos games are exhibition games (Diablo Rojos are the Yankees of the Mexican League in terms of championships, historic significance, etc.). All the other international series listed above are regular-season games, though Seoul is the only new location. MLB has already played regular-season games in Mexico City and London.

6. The Dodgers and Padres still have to finish spring training

After the Seoul Series, the Dodgers and Padres will head to Southern California and wrap up their exhibition season. It's a long trip with a big-time change – a 13 or so hour flight from spring training in Phoenix to Seoul and a 16-hour time difference – and the two teams will have several days to adjust back to normal after the two games. Here are their upcoming schedules:

So that's two regular-season games in Seoul, a few days off, the last few spring exhibition games, another day off, and then a return to regular-season baseball. An unusual schedule, to be sure, but a necessary one given the travel involved.