Dodgers Schedule: LA to Open 2024 Season in Korea for First Time Ever
It had been rumored for a while but it was made official on Wednesday as Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres would be kicking off the 2024 regular season with a two-game series in Seoul, South Korea. The games will take place on March 20 and March 21, 2024, and will be part of a home-home series.
???? ???. ?
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) July 12, 2023
Mark your calendar because the Dodgers are heading to Korea! The boys in blue will take on the Padres on 3/20 and 3/21 for the Seoul Series. pic.twitter.com/Vm5FktJmUA
This two-game series will be the first ever MLB games played in Korea and marks another example of the international growth of Major League Baseball. The two NL West rivals are the perfect choice for these games as they are headlined by some of the game’s biggest stars and it will feature some firepower as well.
President Stan Kasten gave his thoughts on the announcement and spoke about the history of the franchise when it comes to Korean players.
“We can’t wait to play meaningful Major League games for the very first time in front of the outstanding baseball fans of Korea next season,” said Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten. “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.”
Per MLB.com
Once the first game kicks off, LA will become the first franchise in baseball to play on three different continents. Fans may recall that they played a series in Australia back in 2014 against the Arizona Diamondbacks, with LA sweeping the two-game series. This will also be the Dodgers’ first games played on international soil since they faced San Diego in Monterrey, Mexico back in 2018.
Both LA and San Diego will adjust their spring schedules accordingly to get ready for this as they will have shortened time before the year starts. However, this should be a ton of fun for everyone involved, and is a special honor for the franchises to be included.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Please subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more all year long!