Next year, the first official American professional baseball major league (MLB) regular league game will be held in Seoul.토토사이트
The MLB Secretariat announced on the 13th that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will open the regular season in Seoul on March 20-21, 2024 (Korean time).
MLB.com reported that it is the first MLB official game to be held in Korea, and that the two-game series between the Dodgers and Padres is the opening game of next year’s regular season.
San Diego’s Korean batsman Kim Ha-seong plans to show off his improved skills in front of his hometown fans against the Dodgers, who have a deep relationship with Korean players.
The MLB secretariat did not reveal the venue for the Seoul series, but it is known that the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Korea’s only domed stadium, will be chosen as the venue considering the cold weather in late March.
An official from the KBO Secretariat said, “The MLB Secretariat has been discussing with us for a long time about holding a regular league in Seoul as part of the ‘World Tour’.” I know that,” he said.
Under the banner of ‘globalization of baseball’, the MLB Secretariat has promoted a world tour that crosses the US border and conducts regular leagues in other countries under the agreement with the MLB Players Union.
The MLB official opening game will be held outside the United States in Monterrey, Mexico in 1999, Tokyo in Japan in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2019, San Juan in Puerto Rico in 2001, and Sydney in Australia in 2014, and Seoul next year will be the ninth time. . In addition, Seoul will become the second city in Asia to host the MLB official opening game after Tokyo.
In particular, the Dodgers will start the season outside the US border for the second time in 10 years since 2014, when they played the Arizona Diamondbacks regular season opener in Sydney.
Dodgers President Stan Castin said, “Our players, including players who played for the Dodgers such as Park Chan-ho (retired), Choi Hee-seop (current KIA Tigers coach), and Ryu Hyun-jin (current Toronto Blue Jays), will be able to show off their skills in Korea, which has a rich baseball tradition and talent. I know you are thrilled with your thoughts.”
In 1999, the Colorado Rockies and Monterey played the opening game of the regular league outside the United States for the first time in MLB history, and San Diego will participate in the world tour for the second year in a row following the Mexico Series this year.
Eric Grouper, CEO of San Diego Club, also said, “Korea is a great baseball country with a rich tradition, passionate fans, and talented players including Kim Ha-seong, a favorite of current San Diego fans.” I am proud to be active as a global baseball ambassador.”
After the announcement by the MLB team, the Dodgers team issued a separate press release and emphasized the significance of the Seoul Series.
The Dodgers team said that four Korean players have worn Dodger Blue uniforms, including Park Chan-ho (1994-2001, 2008), Choi Hee-seop (2004-2005), Seo Jae-eung (current KIA Tigers coach, 2006), and Ryu Hyun-jin (2013). ~2019) introduced the relationship with
Subsequently, Park Chan-ho (2001) and Ryu Hyun-jin (2019) participated in the MLB All-Star Game as part of the Dodgers, and Kim Byeong-hyun (2002, then Arizona) and Choo Shin-soo (2018, then Texas Rangers) were four Korean big leaguers who went to the All-Star Game. added.
The San Diego club posted an interview video of Kim Ha-seong wearing a national flag on its official Instagram account.
Ha-seong Kim said, “When I joined, I never imagined that I would have a chance to represent San Diego and the major leagues in my country. I cannot express in words how happy and happy I am to be able to play in Korea wearing a San Diego uniform.”
He continued, “I think it will be a really special and good memory for me by inviting my teammates, staff, and coaches to Korea. I would be grateful if many San Diego fans from Korea came to support me.”
The MLB Secretariat will start with the 2024 Seoul Series, April 28-29 Mexico Series (Houston Astros-Colorado), June 9-10 London Series (New York Mets-Philadelphia Phillies), March 10-11, an exhibition game period. He has four world tours, including the Dominican Republic Series (Boston Red Sox-Tampa Bay Race).