| MLB Seoul Series | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the 2024 edition | |
| Sponsor | Coupang Play |
| Played series | 2024 |
| Site | Gocheok Sky Dome Seoul, South Korea |
| US television | ESPN and ESPN Deportes |
The MLB World Tour: Seoul Series, known for sponsorship purposes as the MLB World Tour: Seoul Series presented by Coupang Play, is a series of Major League Baseball (MLB) games played in Seoul, South Korea. It is part of the MLB World Tour series of games played outside of the United States and Canada.
In July 2023, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres would open the 2024 season at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, playing the first regular-season MLB games in South Korea. [1]
Prior to the regular-season games, the MLB teams played four exhibition games against Korean teams, which were broadcast locally in the U.S. The Dodgers played the Kiwoom Heroes on March 16, at 8:00 p.m. PDT. On March 17, the Padres played Team Korea at 3:00 a.m. PDT and the KBO's LG Twins at 8:00 p.m. PDT. The Dodgers played Team Korea on March 18 at 3:00 a.m. PDT. [2]
The Dodgers and Padres played two regular-season games on March 20–21, [3] with each team designated as the "home team" once. The Dodgers won the first game, 5–2, and the Padres won the second, 15–11. [4]
The Seoul series was Shohei Ohtani's regular-season debut with the Dodgers; the team signed him to a long-term contract during the 2023–24 offseason. Ohtani was accompanied by his wife, Mamiko Tanaka; the Seoul series was the first time Ohtani and Tanaka appeared in public together, after the couple married during the preceding month. [5] Local police reported that a person sent a bomb threat by email, threatening to harm Ohtani and other players at the first game. [6] Police found no dangerous or suspicious activity at the stadium, and both games went on as planned. [7]
The games celebrated Asian players past and present in MLB. Ha-seong Kim, a shortstop for the Padres who formerly played in the Sky Dome for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), received the loudest cheers of any player. Chan Ho Park, a former Dodgers pitcher who is the first Korean person to play in MLB, threw the ceremonial first pitch. Ohtani attracted many fans to the game. Yu Darvish, a Japanese pitcher for the Padres, received a loud ovation after an inning-ending strikeout. [8]
ESPN and ESPN Deportes broadcast both games, with coverage beginning at 5:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), or 2:30 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). ESPN's nationwide U.S. coverage was blacked out in the Los Angeles and San Diego media markets. [9] SportsNet LA and Padres.TV produced broadcasts for the teams' home markets. [2]
The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West Division. Established in 1883 in Brooklyn, New York, the team joined the NL in 1890 as the Brooklyn Bridegrooms and assumed several other monikers before finally settling on the name Dodgers in 1932. From the 1940s through the mid-1950s, the Dodgers developed a fierce crosstown rivalry with the New York Yankees as the two clubs faced each other in the World Series seven times, with the Dodgers losing the first five matchups before defeating them to win the franchise's first title in 1955. It was also during this period that the Dodgers made history by breaking the baseball color line in 1947 with the debut of Jackie Robinson, the first African American to play in the Major Leagues since 1884. Another major milestone was reached in 1956 when Don Newcombe became the first player ever to win both the Cy Young Award and the NL MVP in the same season.
The KBO League is the highest level league of baseball in South Korea. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most successful team, having won 11 of the 42 championships.
The Freeway Series is a Major League Baseball (MLB) interleague rivalry played between the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Angels are members of the American League (AL) West division, and the Dodgers are members of the National League (NL) West division. The series takes its name from the massive freeway system in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area, the home of both teams; one could travel from one team's stadium to the other simply by driving along the Santa Ana Freeway. The term is akin to Subway Series which refers to meetings between New York City baseball teams The Yankees and The Mets. The term "Freeway Series" also inspired the official name of the region's NHL rivalry between the Los Angeles Kings and the Anaheim Ducks: the Freeway Face-Off.
The Gocheok Sky Dome (Korean: 고척스카이돔) is a domed baseball stadium located in Gocheok-dong, Seoul, South Korea. It is the home ballpark of KBO club Kiwoom Heroes. The stadium is primarily used for baseball and has a capacity for 16,744 spectators for baseball games. The stadium replaced Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium and opened on 15 September 2015. It also serves as a concert venue, with a capacity for around 25,000 spectators.
Thomas Brad "Trey" Hillman is an American professional baseball coach. He has also served as the manager of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in Japan's Pacific League, the Kansas City Royals in the American League and the SK Wyverns in the KBO League. Therefore, he is the only person to have served as manager in these three countries. He has also been a coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and the Miami Marlins.
Seung-hwanOh is a South Korean professional baseball relief pitcher for the Samsung Lions of the KBO League. He previously played for the Lions in South Korea, the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in Japan, and the St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, and Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is known as "Dol-bucheo" for being unshaken and maintaining an emotionless face in every situation. His prowess as a relief pitcher also earned him the nickname "Kkeut-pan Wang", in South Korea and among Cardinals fans.
Hyun-jin Ryu is a South Korean professional baseball pitcher for the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO League. He has also played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Kiwoom Heroes are a South Korean professional baseball team based in Seoul. They are a member of the KBO League. The Heroes play their home games at Gocheok Sky Dome in Gocheok-dong, a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Seoul. The Heroes mascot is Teokdori.
Baseball is believed to have been introduced to Korea in 1905 by American missionaries during the Korean Empire, after which it gradually attained prominence. After the division of the Korean Peninsula into North Korea and South Korea in 1945 and the further destabilisation of the Korean War from 1950–53, baseball has become one of the most popular sports in South Korea. North Korea, under isolationist leadership, does not have the same level of investment in baseball as South Korea. There are 10 professional teams in South Korea's KBO League. Baseball season runs from March to October.
Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player, Ohtani's 2021, 2022, and 2023 seasons are considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.
The posting system is a baseball player transfer system that operates between Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the Major League Baseball (MLB). The system is based on the original posting system that was put in place between MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) in 1998.
Ha-seong Kim is a South Korean professional baseball infielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kim was drafted 41st overall by the Nexen Heroes in the 2014 Korea Baseball Organization Draft. He made his KBO debut with the Heroes in May 2014 and won the KBO Golden Glove Award in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In December 2020, Kim signed with the San Diego Padres, and made his MLB debut in 2021. In 2023, Kim became the first Korean-born player to win a Gold Glove Award.
Jung-hoo Lee is a South Korean professional baseball outfielder for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in the KBO League for the Kiwoom Heroes.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Orix Buffaloes. Yamamoto is a three-time Pacific League Most Valuable Player, Eiji Sawamura Award, and a three-time Triple Crown winner. Yamamoto is the first player in the history of professional baseball to win the Triple Crown in three consecutive years. Following the 2023 NPB season, Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Dodgers.
Ippei Mizuhara is a Japanese interpreter. Mizuhara served as the interpreter for Major League Baseball player Shohei Ohtani, translating Japanese to English and vice versa for Ohtani's media appearances and teammate interactions. He previously worked for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) as an interpreter for several of the team's Anglophone players.
The Dodgers–Padres rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) National League division rivalry between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. The Dodgers and Padres are both members of the National League (NL) West Division. It's occasionally called the I-5 rivalry because Los Angeles and San Diego lie approximately 120 miles apart along Interstate 5.
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The 2024 San Diego Padres season is the 56th season of the San Diego Padres franchise. The Padres play their home games at Petco Park as members of Major League Baseball's National League West.