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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.
Prior to the regular-season games, the MLB teams played four
History
In July 2023, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres would open the 2024 season atGocheok Sky Dome
The Gocheok Sky Dome () is a domed baseball stadium located in Gocheok-dong, Seoul, South Korea. It is the home ballpark of KBO League, KBO club Kiwoom Heroes. The stadium is primarily used for baseball and has a capacity for 16,744 spectators fo ...
in Seoul, playing the first regular-season MLB games in South Korea.
2024 edition
Prior to the regular-season games, the MLB teams played four exhibition games
An exhibition game (also known as a friendly, a scrimmage, a demonstration, a preseason game, a warmup match, or a preparation match, depending at least in part on the sport) is a sporting event whose prize money and impact on the player's or ...
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
Team Korea is the brand name used since 2010 by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KOC) and Korean Paralympic Committee for their Korean Olympic team.
National teams Olympic & Asian Games teams
* Badminton
** Korea national badminton ...
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.
The Dodgers and Padres played two regular-season games on March 20–21, 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.
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. Local police reported that a person sent a bomb threat by email, threatening to harm Ohtani and other players at the first game. Police found no dangerous or suspicious activity at the stadium, and both games went on as planned.
The games celebrated Asian players past and present in MLB. Ha-seong Kim
Ha-seong Kim (born October 17, 1995) is a South Korean professional baseball shortstop for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). Kim was drafted 41st overall by the Kiwoom Heroes, Nexen Heroes in the 2014 Korea Baseball Organiza ...
, a shortstop for the Padres who formerly played in the Sky Dome for the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO; ko, 한국야구위원회) is the governing body for the professional leagues of baseball in South Korea. The KBO was founded in 1981 and has governed two leagues: the KBO League ( ko, KBO 리그) and KBO ...
(KBO), received the loudest cheers of any player. Chan Ho Park
Chan Ho Park (; ; born June 30, 1973) is a South Korean former professional baseball pitcher. Park was the first South Korea-born player in MLB history. He played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, ...
, 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.
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
''Blacked Out'' is a studio album by American country rap duo Moonshine Bandits from California. It was released on July 17, 2015 via Average Joes Entertainment. It features guest appearances from Bubba Sparxxx, Colt Ford, Crucifix, Demun Jones, D ...
in the Los Angeles and San Diego media markets. SportsNet LA and Padres.TV produced broadcasts for the teams' home markets.
See also
*Baseball in South Korea
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, backed by the Soviet Uni ...
* List of Major League Baseball games played outside the United States and Canada
Major League Baseball (MLB) has played multiple regular season games outside of its base in the United States and Canada. Listed below are the results of those games. Exhibition contests, such as preseason games or postseason all-star games, are ...
References
External links
* {{ESPN Major League Baseball Seoul Series International baseball competitions hosted by South Korea Major League Baseball international baseball competitions March 2024 sports events in South Korea Events in Seoul Baseball in Seoul