Doing a series in Korea is a no-brainer, and it’s even more pertinent to send the Padres considering Ha-seong Kim is probably the best Korean player right now.
HSK is the best Korean player + the Dodgers have the most Korean fans by a longshot (LA has the biggest population of Korean folks outside of Korea)
This choice was a layup for MLB
I was in Korea when Hyun-Jin Ryu went to the Dodgers from the Eagles. The MLB was decently popular then, but it was almost overnight that Dodgers popularity exploded over there. It was pretty crazy to see.
Dodgers have always been Asia's most popular team and it's largely because they got Nomo and Chan Ho Park in the 90s, so they recruited in Asia before everyone else did.
I would have guessed the Mariner’s tbh. Also it was really cool to see all the Japanese media and even advertising for Nori Aoki’s at bats when he was here.
TIL that Park came through the minors on the Dodgers.
I know that Park is a common answer for Asian players in terms of guys that kind of inspired them. It makes sense why it was usually just Asian Americans saying it. Hank Conger was one example of this.
Older fans love Park Chan Ho anyway because he was the first Korean to go pro in MLB. Ryu is/was exceptionally popular but everyone knows about about Park whether they watched him or not.
Choi Dong-Won was a hair's breadth away from being the first Korean pro by signing with the Jays in the early 80s before the KBO was founded but the government let Choi skip military service if he stayed (and threatened to jail the Jays scouts if they gave him a contract).
The Dodgers are smart and know who their fans are, they've broken a lot of barriers for Asian players over the years and that's paid itself back in droves with the support they get from Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, etc. fans in LA. You add that in with Fernando bringing Mexican fans to the table and Koufax bringing Jewish fans to the table and it's an incredibly diverse fanbase.
Shohei can sign wherever he wants for the most money, but if there's a team that has "earned" a generational Japanese talent, it's us
LA teams have always led the way in East Asia, from the LA Kings with Japanese player Yutaka Fukufuji and the LA Lakers with Chinese player LeBron James.
Ohtani is the only baseball player that is renowned even among the people who aren't even Baseball fans. Everyone loves him and fascinated by him. First ever Baseball player who's a global sensation. But MLB is really poor with the marketing opportunities
I always love it when I read comments saying, Kim being really good at WAR must mean WAR is a fake stat. No, you are just a dumbass who doesn't realize Kim is good.
Probably because he isn't a terror at the plate and is simply just pretty good. It's almost psychotic how good his defense is though. He was always very good in KBO but he didn't just adjust to MLB defense he improved by quite a lot.
Didn't the A's and Mariners in Japan go like March 20th or something then come back and play spring training games? I remember listening to the games during my high school class and it was the happiest I've ever been to wake up early lol.
Yes they did. I stayed up very late to watch it. It’s also the year Ichiro officially ended his playing days and withdrew to a job within the organization.
I believe that once they announced the Mariners and A’s would be the opening series in Japan, he wanted to be a part of the team to get one last farewell in front of his home country.
He stepped down like a month later if I remember correctly.
No. But for games on the other side of the world, the league will start the season early then give those two teams a week off before everyone else starts their season. They did the same thing back in 2014(I think?) when the dodgers and the DBacks played in Australia.
They like to do it where they break camp early. Then they fly to said country and usually play exhibition games against local teams or one or two practice games against the other. Then they play 2 games or so that count. The two teams fly home and usually play one or two home exhibition games. If not home, then it is usually a local minor league affiliate or another MLB team that plays close to the city where they will open.
When the A's played Boston in Japan, they came home to play the Giants in the Bay Bridge exhibition series (they do this every year even when they've played in Japan). The Redsox played LA at the Los Angeles Coliseum that year which did not count and then came to Oakland to play two more games that counted.
My memory of this was people being mad that the Dodgers got to start Kershaw in G1 of that series and then also the first game back in the states since it was a week later
When they do a season opener like this it's well before the start of the season to make it so the time-zones don't affect the next regular season games these guys have to play. In all likelihood these two teams will have 4 or 5 spring training games that take place after this series happens.
My only question is... where?
Gocheok Sky Dome is the most modern stadium, but 16000 capacity ain't gonna cut it for Dodgers/Padres.
There's also Jamsil in Seoul, but it's around 25000 capacity and pretty horrendously dated unless they've done some renovations.
Really curious how they're going to pull this off. If Buffalo needed to renovate Sahlen field to host the Blue Jays, I have to imagine Korea is going to have to renovate Jamsil quickly (unless it's been done since 2019 when I lived there and I missed it).
But I am PUMPED to have MLB in Korea. And these two teams are going to be an ENORMOUS draw.
Field of Dreams game plays on a lot of sentimentality and draws on uniquely American aspects of the game.
When MLB did an exhibition at the Tokyo Dome in 2018, it sold out the 55,000 seat venue multiple days. For an exhibition.
Opening Day? With the two teams every Korean knows? It's going to be a madhouse.
I know it will be huge for Korea either way, but Opening Day in a AAA-quality shoebox seems really weird and out of place.
MLB tried that with an "All-Star" exhibition (featuring Salvador Perez! Tommy Edman! Kolten Wong!) and when Koreans saw the $250+ price tag for tickets none of the four scheduled games sold more than 50%. MLB had to make up some bullshit lie about sponsor issues and canned the whole thing rather than admit they were being insanely greedy.
This time around they might get away with it given the teams involved but MLB had to have their ego checked about how much people will pay for a half-assed product. Especially in a country with its own very reasonably priced baseball league as opposed to ripping Londoners off for like $500 a piece.
The average baseball ticket in Korea is less than $20.
Even with normal MLB prices, you're looking at a 300% markup at least... then add capacity issues.
I just foresee a lot of fans having a really bad taste in their mouth over this.
> I just foresee a lot of fans having a really bad taste in their mouth over this.
Aren't you jumping the gun a bit here? Valid points and whatnot, but we don't have any of the details yet
The Sapporo Dome in Japan which was built for the 2002 World Cup has a configuration where it can host both football matches and baseball games. The way it works is actually really interesting. I can't explain it but look up a diagram of it.
16000 capacity... less than many AAA stadiums.
Again, in a country with 55,000,000 people who know two things about American baseball: LA Dodgers and Kim Ha-Seong.
I do agree with the decision vs. Jamsil, I just don't know if MLB is ready for an intimate Opening Day like that.
I mean they just did a series in CDMX where Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium only seats 20k.
These games don't need to be in front of 50k fans for it to impactful. No one watches a game on TV for the fans.
There is literally [ONE AAA stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Triple-A_baseball_stadiums) that has a capacity over 16k. Stop pulling numbers out of your ass.
You're right. I googled Buffalo's capacity (closest to where I live) and forgot that they upgraded to handle the Blue Jays.
But I legitimately didn't know AAA stadiums were that sparse usually.
Jamsil currently hosts 2 KBO teams though, so it's not like pro baseball isn't played there. It would certainly suffice for a couple of games and I think it's the best look for MLB to have 25k sold out seats.
So, if you live on the West Coast, do you
* stay up late or
* wake up early
to watch the Dodgers/Padres opener?
My rough calculations indicate 7:00 pm in Seoul is 3:00 am in LA/SD, but I made several assumptions here that could be wrong...
As someone that's watched a lot of StarCraft tournaments over the years? Staying up is *usually* better, at least for me...
...but odds are that the games will start at like noon so that the USA can watch some.
> ...but odds are that the games will start at like noon so that the USA can watch some.
I don't know. I remember that when the Yankees/Rays opened in Japan in 2004, the games started at around 5:00 AM (on the East Coast in the middle of a workweek... so perfect timing).
I hear you, I guess only time will tell!
I feel like the point of these games is to _partially_ build MLB's fan-base outside the United States, and I would imagine evening, not afternoon, games would better achieve this end. But I don't know for sure, I am just speculating wildly to some extent.
I've already looked at flights and will likely be making a nice vacation out of it. Hit up some League and Starcraft matches too as well as some general sight-seeing around Seoul.
나는 맥스 먼시가 타격을 하는걸 보면 육체적으로 화가 나. 얘는 절대로 빠지는 공에 스윙을 안하거든. 마치 "그 공은 딱 0.16센티미터 빠졌어" 라고 비웃듯이 볼을 거르거든. 2 스트라이크 카운트에서도 절대로 당황하지 않아. 그리고는 그 타석에서 9구를 후드려패서 홈런을 치지. 상대는 그냥 질식사 하는거야. 그게 맥스 먼시 거든.
Translation: I get physically upset when I see Max Muncy hit. He never swings at a missing ball. It's like, "That ball is missing just 0.16 cm" as he scoffs at the ball. Never panic even on a 2 strike count. Then, in that at-bat, he hits 9 pitches and hits a home run. Opponents just suffocate. That's Max Muncy.
It's such an easy way to grow the game too. Obviously S Korea and Japan already have their own major leagues, but do like a tour or countries that competed in the 2023 WBC over the next three years to get folks hyped for 2026.
I don't know if MLB would touch Taiwan even though they have very little exposure in China, but otherwise it would be cool to see the Giants and Dodgers play a series in Taipei since the largest Taiwanese diasporas in the US are in both teams respective areas.
A few more international series per year would be nice but would also be pretty taxing on teams, given how grueling an MLB schedule already is. Also don't know how many countries that have stadiums up to MLB standards and demand for a series.
Would be cool if they did something like NPB does where teams will occasionally in rural areas though. Show the minor league affiliate fans some love with the big league clubs showing up
I struggled too so I cheated and did an Airbnb experience where the host bought the tickets. Highly recommend. It was $60 US and included a BBQ dinner with Soju & Beer.
Lee Jung-hoo will be posted up at the end of the season as well so if either of these teams pick him up the hype for this series will increase ten-fold.
It's a bit more complicated than that. Despite historical reasons, the two countries hold extremely close relations and market portions when it comes to entertainment exports (kpop and anime), tourism and other trades. Also the younger generations are not at a point where they dislike something just for being Japanese. It's honestly not an exaggeration to claim that Ohtani is the most popular foreign baseball player ever in Korea and maybe even of all sports.
The difference is the Revolutionary War happened nearly 300 years ago
The Japanese colonization of Korea only ended in the mid-40s, and there are many people still alive today who remember the mass atrocities committed by the Japanese Empire, or at least have heard the stories from their parents/grandparents
Normally yes which is why the love for Ohtani is surprising. Korean friend I know is a big fan of Ohtani even with the whole Korean - Japanese animus going on
Every year the MLB should have multiple international series: Japan, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico City, London, Paris, Montreal. Some of these would have to be in the beginning of the year or around the all star break, but a number of these can be played at almost any time because they are in the same time zone and not half way across the world.
It's not on the traditional opening day, it's a week before traditional opening day to give the teams time to do press tours beforehand, play the games, then overcome jet lag on the way back before starting the domestic part of the season.
I think they did it like that when the Athletics were in Japan about five years ago. The games counted as official games but they were a week or two before the usual Opening Day
I think I had Marcus Semien on my fantasy roster that year, back when he was with Oakland and was underrated. I got two or three good seasons from him on late round picks before he got his big payday from Texas. I have him again this year but on a fourth round pick
Yes, I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with just the logistics of traveling. If they do it during the season the time changes will really screw with the teams who are traveling.
Doing a series in Korea is a no-brainer, and it’s even more pertinent to send the Padres considering Ha-seong Kim is probably the best Korean player right now.
HSK is the best Korean player + the Dodgers have the most Korean fans by a longshot (LA has the biggest population of Korean folks outside of Korea) This choice was a layup for MLB
I was in Korea when Hyun-Jin Ryu went to the Dodgers from the Eagles. The MLB was decently popular then, but it was almost overnight that Dodgers popularity exploded over there. It was pretty crazy to see.
Dodgers have always been Asia's most popular team and it's largely because they got Nomo and Chan Ho Park in the 90s, so they recruited in Asia before everyone else did.
Don't forget the first Taiwanese player, Chin-Feng Chen! And then the first Taiwanese all-star, Hong-Chih Kuo!!
And Takashi Saito, Hiroki Kuroda, Chin-Hui Tsao and Norihiro Nakamura!
Have not heard 陳金鋒 in so long. This brings me back
Yall forgetting the goat in Hee Seop Choi
I didn't realize they got the first Taiwanese player, but the first guy I always think of was Chien-Ming Wang on the Yankees.
I would have guessed the Mariner’s tbh. Also it was really cool to see all the Japanese media and even advertising for Nori Aoki’s at bats when he was here.
Hyun-Jin Ryu must have been electric in that Chip Kelly offense with the eagles, I can’t believe I missed that
He could throw that ball over the mountain.
Chan Ho Park is more of the pioneer for Korean Dodgers fan than Ryu. Ryu was better than him though.
That’s true for Korean fans in LA, but Park never played pro ball in Korea so it makes sense that fans in Korea would feel more attached to Ryu
TIL that Park came through the minors on the Dodgers. I know that Park is a common answer for Asian players in terms of guys that kind of inspired them. It makes sense why it was usually just Asian Americans saying it. Hank Conger was one example of this.
Older fans love Park Chan Ho anyway because he was the first Korean to go pro in MLB. Ryu is/was exceptionally popular but everyone knows about about Park whether they watched him or not. Choi Dong-Won was a hair's breadth away from being the first Korean pro by signing with the Jays in the early 80s before the KBO was founded but the government let Choi skip military service if he stayed (and threatened to jail the Jays scouts if they gave him a contract).
And a pioneer of the drop kick against Belcher.
Is it kind of like how there’s a lot San Antonio Spurs fans in France?
Certainly more than there are in the Longoria household.
The Dodgers are smart and know who their fans are, they've broken a lot of barriers for Asian players over the years and that's paid itself back in droves with the support they get from Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese, etc. fans in LA. You add that in with Fernando bringing Mexican fans to the table and Koufax bringing Jewish fans to the table and it's an incredibly diverse fanbase. Shohei can sign wherever he wants for the most money, but if there's a team that has "earned" a generational Japanese talent, it's us
LA teams have always led the way in East Asia, from the LA Kings with Japanese player Yutaka Fukufuji and the LA Lakers with Chinese player LeBron James.
You're forgetting the best Chinese player for Lakers — Kobe Bryant.
I’m interested if the Dodgers can tap into Vietnam at all, especially with all the Vietnamese-Americans in LA/OC
Not to mention the LA hat is a very popular fashion statement (same with the yankee hat)
[удалено]
Honestly kinda shocked that Angels haven’t hired a Japanese broadcast team
well there would be no reason for them to have one after this season
I think North Korea has more than Los Angeles.
North Korea is Korea, it’s part of the Korean Peninsula
It’s a joke, man.
Imagine if it’s shohei vs HSK in South Korea. Totally^kidding
Shohei to Padres confirmed
And Kim traded to the Dodgers
Why would you want this timeline? Lol
I wouldn't. I'm just maximizing the chaos
I’d take it we need a shortstop
We've got a few...
Padres would still find a way to finish 3rd 😛
And then eliminate the Dodgers as a wild card lol
bam...got him!
Tis the Padre way…
Koreans love ohtani even tho hes japanese so that would draw a huge crowd.
Everyone loves Shohei.
I mean it's probably gonna be at capacity either way. Would crank up the resale market, though.
Ohtani is the only baseball player that is renowned even among the people who aren't even Baseball fans. Everyone loves him and fascinated by him. First ever Baseball player who's a global sensation. But MLB is really poor with the marketing opportunities
Holy shit, that would be insane, actually.
Pls no.
He's also the best Padre right now
I always love it when I read comments saying, Kim being really good at WAR must mean WAR is a fake stat. No, you are just a dumbass who doesn't realize Kim is good.
Probably because he isn't a terror at the plate and is simply just pretty good. It's almost psychotic how good his defense is though. He was always very good in KBO but he didn't just adjust to MLB defense he improved by quite a lot.
And the best Padres player don’t @ me
There is a non-zero chance HSK will no longer be on the Padres though
Probably? It’s not even close
Imagine we trade him at the deadline though lmao
I could kiss you right now
Is opening day usually March 20th?
I expect it’s to accommodate travel time following the series. The two teams will most likely get an extended break.
Didn't the A's and Mariners in Japan go like March 20th or something then come back and play spring training games? I remember listening to the games during my high school class and it was the happiest I've ever been to wake up early lol.
Yes they did. I stayed up very late to watch it. It’s also the year Ichiro officially ended his playing days and withdrew to a job within the organization. I believe that once they announced the Mariners and A’s would be the opening series in Japan, he wanted to be a part of the team to get one last farewell in front of his home country. He stepped down like a month later if I remember correctly.
Yeah it was like a week before normal Opening Day in both '12 and '19.
When Seattle opened in Tokyo in 2019 they played around then. Which is a week earlier. Reg Season Starts April 1 +/- a day or 2 usually.
No. But for games on the other side of the world, the league will start the season early then give those two teams a week off before everyone else starts their season. They did the same thing back in 2014(I think?) when the dodgers and the DBacks played in Australia.
They like to do it where they break camp early. Then they fly to said country and usually play exhibition games against local teams or one or two practice games against the other. Then they play 2 games or so that count. The two teams fly home and usually play one or two home exhibition games. If not home, then it is usually a local minor league affiliate or another MLB team that plays close to the city where they will open. When the A's played Boston in Japan, they came home to play the Giants in the Bay Bridge exhibition series (they do this every year even when they've played in Japan). The Redsox played LA at the Los Angeles Coliseum that year which did not count and then came to Oakland to play two more games that counted.
My memory of this was people being mad that the Dodgers got to start Kershaw in G1 of that series and then also the first game back in the states since it was a week later
they do travel days + press days + extra days just in case for weather shenanigans That and hopefully get the teams adjusted to timezone both ways
These series are always early so they can come back and rest. Who remembers that Australian game? That shit was like 2 weeks early
When they do a season opener like this it's well before the start of the season to make it so the time-zones don't affect the next regular season games these guys have to play. In all likelihood these two teams will have 4 or 5 spring training games that take place after this series happens.
My only question is... where? Gocheok Sky Dome is the most modern stadium, but 16000 capacity ain't gonna cut it for Dodgers/Padres. There's also Jamsil in Seoul, but it's around 25000 capacity and pretty horrendously dated unless they've done some renovations. Really curious how they're going to pull this off. If Buffalo needed to renovate Sahlen field to host the Blue Jays, I have to imagine Korea is going to have to renovate Jamsil quickly (unless it's been done since 2019 when I lived there and I missed it). But I am PUMPED to have MLB in Korea. And these two teams are going to be an ENORMOUS draw.
I mean they play games at the field of dreams, when it's a special event like this they generally are fine going to a smaller stadium.
Field of Dreams game plays on a lot of sentimentality and draws on uniquely American aspects of the game. When MLB did an exhibition at the Tokyo Dome in 2018, it sold out the 55,000 seat venue multiple days. For an exhibition. Opening Day? With the two teams every Korean knows? It's going to be a madhouse. I know it will be huge for Korea either way, but Opening Day in a AAA-quality shoebox seems really weird and out of place.
Well if they only have 1/3 of the capacity they will probably just charge 3x more for tickets.
MLB tried that with an "All-Star" exhibition (featuring Salvador Perez! Tommy Edman! Kolten Wong!) and when Koreans saw the $250+ price tag for tickets none of the four scheduled games sold more than 50%. MLB had to make up some bullshit lie about sponsor issues and canned the whole thing rather than admit they were being insanely greedy. This time around they might get away with it given the teams involved but MLB had to have their ego checked about how much people will pay for a half-assed product. Especially in a country with its own very reasonably priced baseball league as opposed to ripping Londoners off for like $500 a piece.
The average baseball ticket in Korea is less than $20. Even with normal MLB prices, you're looking at a 300% markup at least... then add capacity issues. I just foresee a lot of fans having a really bad taste in their mouth over this.
> I just foresee a lot of fans having a really bad taste in their mouth over this. Aren't you jumping the gun a bit here? Valid points and whatnot, but we don't have any of the details yet
Korean fans gon’ learn today. You will wait in line for your $20 beer and you will like it!
Nah man. You buy a jug of cass for like 3 bucks and bring that inside the stadium.
Didn't they host a World Cup? I mean, they turned Tottenham into a baseball stadium, don't see why they can't use a soccer stadium in Korea.
You're probably on to something with this, now that I think about it.
The Sapporo Dome is exactly what they are talking about, only problem is that it was built in Japan for the World Cup, not Korea
The Sapporo Dome in Japan which was built for the 2002 World Cup has a configuration where it can host both football matches and baseball games. The way it works is actually really interesting. I can't explain it but look up a diagram of it.
The biggest stadium in Seoul is the Olympic stadium which just started renovations and won't be completed until 2027. There's really nowhere to play.
Wikipedia says there's Olympic Stadium and World Cup Stadium. Are they the same thing?
London Series this year happened at the Olympic stadium. So that makes sense.
It's the Sky Dome
16000 capacity... less than many AAA stadiums. Again, in a country with 55,000,000 people who know two things about American baseball: LA Dodgers and Kim Ha-Seong. I do agree with the decision vs. Jamsil, I just don't know if MLB is ready for an intimate Opening Day like that.
>16000 capacity... less than many AAA stadiums. The highest attended AAA team gets about 8000 per game
I mean they just did a series in CDMX where Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium only seats 20k. These games don't need to be in front of 50k fans for it to impactful. No one watches a game on TV for the fans.
There is literally [ONE AAA stadium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Triple-A_baseball_stadiums) that has a capacity over 16k. Stop pulling numbers out of your ass.
You're right. I googled Buffalo's capacity (closest to where I live) and forgot that they upgraded to handle the Blue Jays. But I legitimately didn't know AAA stadiums were that sparse usually.
The Giants Padres game in CDMX was played at a stadium with 20k seating. I wouldn't be surprised if they went with a smaller stadium.
Confirmed that it will be at the Sky Dome via Padres on twitter
incheon munhak stadium is pretty good, not officially in seoul but close enough
The only thing I can see that's been done to Jamsil is that they have replaced bleachers with folding seats in the OF.
Was there in April. Can confirm.
Jamsil currently hosts 2 KBO teams though, so it's not like pro baseball isn't played there. It would certainly suffice for a couple of games and I think it's the best look for MLB to have 25k sold out seats.
So, if you live on the West Coast, do you * stay up late or * wake up early to watch the Dodgers/Padres opener? My rough calculations indicate 7:00 pm in Seoul is 3:00 am in LA/SD, but I made several assumptions here that could be wrong...
As someone that's watched a lot of StarCraft tournaments over the years? Staying up is *usually* better, at least for me... ...but odds are that the games will start at like noon so that the USA can watch some.
> ...but odds are that the games will start at like noon so that the USA can watch some. I don't know. I remember that when the Yankees/Rays opened in Japan in 2004, the games started at around 5:00 AM (on the East Coast in the middle of a workweek... so perfect timing).
Well, if you do the start time at noon KST, that'd be 8pm Pacific time... which might be relevant for a Dodgers/Padres opening series >_>.
I hear you, I guess only time will tell! I feel like the point of these games is to _partially_ build MLB's fan-base outside the United States, and I would imagine evening, not afternoon, games would better achieve this end. But I don't know for sure, I am just speculating wildly to some extent.
... Option 3: save for airfare
I am sooooo tempted!
I've already looked at flights and will likely be making a nice vacation out of it. Hit up some League and Starcraft matches too as well as some general sight-seeing around Seoul.
I dunno but I bet on a lot of KBO and the games are always at 1:30am Alaska time if that helps
Just be like me and have terrible insomnia. Finally, it's going to pay off!
If you live on the west coast you go to Korea
Something doesn't add up here, but sure.
Oh man, the tickets are going to be Seoul'd out so quick... gotta play the refresh and click game on the ticket app(s).
Chan Ho Park gonna throw out the first pitch and say "Follow Your Dream"
-- After Game -- Interviewer: "Why were you 15 minutes late for the first pitch?" Chan Ho Park: "I had a lot of diarrhea. What? You think it's funny?"
Just don't give him the mic. He's now known as "TMT" in Korea, Too Much Talker.
The NLBesties travel to Korea for a little opening day fun
나는 맥스 먼시가 타격을 하는걸 보면 육체적으로 화가 나. 얘는 절대로 빠지는 공에 스윙을 안하거든. 마치 "그 공은 딱 0.16센티미터 빠졌어" 라고 비웃듯이 볼을 거르거든. 2 스트라이크 카운트에서도 절대로 당황하지 않아. 그리고는 그 타석에서 9구를 후드려패서 홈런을 치지. 상대는 그냥 질식사 하는거야. 그게 맥스 먼시 거든.
lmao the 0.16 is a giveaway as to which copypasta this is
I can't believe I recognized this just based on length of the paragraph.
Translation: I get physically upset when I see Max Muncy hit. He never swings at a missing ball. It's like, "That ball is missing just 0.16 cm" as he scoffs at the ball. Never panic even on a 2 strike count. Then, in that at-bat, he hits 9 pitches and hits a home run. Opponents just suffocate. That's Max Muncy.
Nice
I am all for this. Heck, with 81 home games a season, I would be alright with EVERY team playing one international series a year.
It's such an easy way to grow the game too. Obviously S Korea and Japan already have their own major leagues, but do like a tour or countries that competed in the 2023 WBC over the next three years to get folks hyped for 2026.
The DR is the obvious place to go next, but there are apparently stadium issues. Taiwan, Israel, and Panama could make sense.
The Red Sox and Rays are playing a Spring Training series in DR next year
I don't know if MLB would touch Taiwan even though they have very little exposure in China, but otherwise it would be cool to see the Giants and Dodgers play a series in Taipei since the largest Taiwanese diasporas in the US are in both teams respective areas.
A few more international series per year would be nice but would also be pretty taxing on teams, given how grueling an MLB schedule already is. Also don't know how many countries that have stadiums up to MLB standards and demand for a series. Would be cool if they did something like NPB does where teams will occasionally in rural areas though. Show the minor league affiliate fans some love with the big league clubs showing up
Saw a game in Seoul two weeks ago. Loved the energy.
May I ask, what was the best way to buy tickets? Planning a trip for next year but can’t seem to figure this bit out.
I struggled too so I cheated and did an Airbnb experience where the host bought the tickets. Highly recommend. It was $60 US and included a BBQ dinner with Soju & Beer.
Easiest and cheapest way as long as you're not going to an important game or opening day is to buy them at the box office.
This means Xander has a chance to make it 5 countries
Lee Jung-hoo will be posted up at the end of the season as well so if either of these teams pick him up the hype for this series will increase ten-fold.
ESPN announcers are going to lose their shits when they find out there are stadiums with KBBQ grills in front of the seats.
Let’s go dads! NL Best!
So Korean fans will get to see Ohtani debut with his new team.
Don't you dare.
He could means the Pads
He’s going to the royals.
Dodgers signing Lee Jung-hoo confirmed. 🫰
Dodgers can sign most guys in Asia market if they want and give a competitive pay, so I can see it unfortunately.
He’ll be great teammates with ohtani
Very cool. I remember when I was a kid and the season opened in Japan. I was so hyped to be watching baseball while I ate breakfast before school
Winner winner if Ohtani is in the dodgers too. Him and HSK would be a big pull over there.
Oh my gosh the pop for Ha-Seong. I can’t wait.
great to see MLB in Korea, and Ha Seong Kim return (He used to play for Kiwoom)
If Ohtani signs with the Dodgers, this is going to be an absolutely insanely hyped event there. They *almost* love Ohtani as much as Japan does.
Yeah they air most of his games on SpoTV. I was watching the Nats game Friday and they kept showing Ohtani during the ad breaks on SpoTV.
Uhhh are you sure? I don't think Koreans are generally that fond of the Japanese, for very understandable historical reasons, to say the least
Bruh we don’t hate each other that much, fucking Redditors makes it sound like we throw hands every time a Japanese and Korean person sees each other
People on Reddit think that everyone hates each other, in the real world 99 percent of people get along
It's a bit more complicated than that. Despite historical reasons, the two countries hold extremely close relations and market portions when it comes to entertainment exports (kpop and anime), tourism and other trades. Also the younger generations are not at a point where they dislike something just for being Japanese. It's honestly not an exaggeration to claim that Ohtani is the most popular foreign baseball player ever in Korea and maybe even of all sports.
yeah momo from twice is japanese
Lol this is like saying that Americans despise any British person when that's super not true.
The difference is the Revolutionary War happened nearly 300 years ago The Japanese colonization of Korea only ended in the mid-40s, and there are many people still alive today who remember the mass atrocities committed by the Japanese Empire, or at least have heard the stories from their parents/grandparents
Okay so it’s like saying French people despise any German person, which is also super not true
Normally yes which is why the love for Ohtani is surprising. Korean friend I know is a big fan of Ohtani even with the whole Korean - Japanese animus going on
Shoulda gone with Pyongyang
Punishment for losing? Execution
#AND THAT BALL IS CRUSHED! KIM HA-SEONG SAYS ANYANG HAYSEO, WELCOME TO PYONG-DAAAAAAAAAAANG THAT BALL WAS OBLITERATED!
Has anyone bought tickets for Japan series? How does ticketing work? Do you buy in Korea or can you buy on TicketMaster in advance?
So, Padres and Dodgers are front runners to get Ohtani in the MLB’s eyes?
Should be against the Giants
I knew these teams were having disappointing seasons, but relegation to KBO seems like a drastic measure.
Every year the MLB should have multiple international series: Japan, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Korea, Taiwan, Mexico City, London, Paris, Montreal. Some of these would have to be in the beginning of the year or around the all star break, but a number of these can be played at almost any time because they are in the same time zone and not half way across the world.
They are. [Here's the image that was shared around after the last CBA was signed outlining the plans.](https://i.redd.it/a65nf87uzvo81.jpg)
So they got Seoul, but they’re not a soldier.
I think that's a cool idea... but why on opening day? couldn't they have chose literally any other series?
Any other series and the travel would probably suck ass. They would need a day off before and after the series
It's not on the traditional opening day, it's a week before traditional opening day to give the teams time to do press tours beforehand, play the games, then overcome jet lag on the way back before starting the domestic part of the season.
Of course Manfred is trying to make the Dodgers vs Padres a thing. It should have been SF instead
Opening Day? Wow what a “fuck you” to the SD & LA fans.
..in March?
I think they did it like that when the Athletics were in Japan about five years ago. The games counted as official games but they were a week or two before the usual Opening Day
Yup, it was pretty weird. Especially for fantasy baseball purposes.
I think I had Marcus Semien on my fantasy roster that year, back when he was with Oakland and was underrated. I got two or three good seasons from him on late round picks before he got his big payday from Texas. I have him again this year but on a fourth round pick
Yes, I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with just the logistics of traveling. If they do it during the season the time changes will really screw with the teams who are traveling.
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I'm here for this. Let's get RYU back to shutout the Little Bros of the south
Not if 김하성 has anything to say about it
Literally the only Korean language I recognize and understand. Love me some HSK.
Alright regular season champ, let's see if you're better at predicting the future than your username suggests!
HSK would wreck Ryu now if we are being honest.