Major League Baseball Starts This Week … in Asia

Major League Baseball is set to get started this week, but it’s on the other side of the world.

The 2024 MLB season, for most teams, is set to start on March 28, but that is not the case for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. Those two teams will kick off their season with the Seoul Series in South Korean Wednesday (March 20).

With a first pitch set for 7PM Seoul time, Padres and Dodgers fans will need to set their alarms for 3:30AM if they want to be part of it.

Those teams will play a two-game series at Gocheok SkyDome in South Korea, then return home for some more spring training games before joining the rest of MLB on opening day, with games on March 28.

Thursday's game may get more attention in Asia, as the Dodgers have announced that prized free agent acquisition Yoshinobu Yamamoto will get the start. Yamamoto signed a 12-year, $325 million dollar contract this offseason, coming over from Japan. His contract is the largest ever for a pitcher in MLB history, and his success in Japan was the reason: The 25 year-old right-hander is coming off three straight seasons where he won their version of the Cy Young award (top pitcher) and 3 straight MVP awards.

Major League Baseball is making a push this year to play games around the globe, with the Seoul Series at the forefront. In April, the Astros and the Rockies will face off in Mexico City, then in June the Mets and Phillies will cross the Atlantic and play three games in London.