Shohei Ohtani will make his Dodgers debut against the Padres in the first MLB regular season game in Korea. (Photo by Jane Wang/Getty Images)
We're still eight days away from Opening Day, but the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will get things started early Wednesday with their first MLB regular-season game in South Korea.
At the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, Shohei Ohtani will make his long-awaited regular-season debut in Dodger blue, while Tyler Glasnow will make his Dodgers debut when he takes on Padres reliever Yu Darvish.
Both the Padres and Dodgers were in Seoul for several days. They were able to overcome any jet lag on their way here, and they also managed to get some playtime in the Gocheok Sky Dome. Both teams played for the Korean national baseball team as well as two teams from the KBO, the Korean equivalent of MLB.
But those were just exhibition games. This is the real thing. Both teams will play some spring training games before the 2024 season begins, but the regular season has finally arrived.
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Both offenses were a bit quiet, so let's take a look at Ohtani's first dribble from a different angle.
The game wasn't out of hand, but the Dodgers could certainly use a little more offense right now
The Dodgers are 0-for-7 with RISP and 0-for-11 with runners on base so far is not a good way to start.
The double play helps the Dodgers, but still forces them to give up the lead to the Padres.
Now it's Glasnow's turn. He had the bases loaded but no outs, and now the Padres had a chance to blow it wide open.
Even tennis legend Billie Jean King is in Seoul to see Ohtani!
The Dodgers scored their first run of 2024 on Jason Heyward's sacrifice fly, which prompted Padres manager Mike Shildt to make that long trip to the mound and pull Darvish, his starter.
The Padres scored the first run of the game, but Darvish appears to be on his last few at-bats as his control continues to suffer.
What started with Ohtani's hit led to the Dodgers plugging the bases in the third with Darvish still having positional issues. But Muncy swings through the third strike and the Padres escape danger – for now at least…
Shohei Ohtani achieved his first success as a Dodger! He whipped a line drive to right field and then almost immediately stole second. Catcher Campusano barely got the ball out of his glove before he was already standing at second.
Glasnow looked sharp, but allowed his first walk of the game (and season) to Jurickson Profar in the second. Profar was almost immediately erased from the bases when Luis Camposano grounded sharply to Mookie Betts for the third out.
We have actual footage to show you Ohtani's first hit as a Dodger.
Third baseman Max Muncy had his first hit of the MLB season, a line drive single to center field that he followed with a stolen base. Just two innings into the season, the Dodgers are already feeling energized.
Old friends alert! Chan Ho Park, the MLB's winningest Asian pitcher, threw the first pitch, and Ken Griffey Jr. also participated in the game as a sports photographer.
Korean pitcher Chan Ho Park threw the first pitch to start the Seoul Series 🇰🇷
Park is the winningest Asian pitcher in MLB history.
Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat as a Dodger is in the books: a force out that included some confusion when umpire interference negated Betts' stolen base.
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