Dodgers-Padres series might be played in South Korea in 2024
The Dodgers’ Southern California rivalry with the San Diego Padres could soon be going to South Korea.
The two teams are likely to open the 2024 regular season with a series in South Korea, according to people with knowledge of the situation unauthorized to speak publicly because the decision hasn’t been finalized.
The games would be Major League Baseball’s first in South Korea, and would put the budding rivalry involving the Dodgers and Padres under an international spotlight.
The games, which were first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, probably would take place in late March, said one person, to give both teams time to return to the U.S. and reacclimate for the rest of their seasons.
The Padres are currently popular in South Korea, thanks to their signing of South Korean infielder Ha-Seong Kim several seasons ago.
The Dodgers have a history of South Korean stars, including Chan Ho Park — who in 1994 became the first Korean player to appear in an MLB game — and Hyun-Jin Ryu.
The Dodgers have played regular-season games outside of North America only once before, when they opened the 2014 season with a series in Australia against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers and Padres also played a series in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2018.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
