The wait is over. Baseball is again. And it’s arduous to think about a greater opening act for the 2024 season than this one: an NL West showdown midway the world over, that includes Main League Baseball’s first regular-season video games in South Korea.
Set your alarms. The Padres and Dodgers sq. off in Recreation 1 of the Seoul Collection on Wednesday morning at 3:05 a.m. PT (6:05 a.m. ET).
The Gocheok SkyDome affords fairly a setting for Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers debut. Ohtani — the offseason’s largest free-agent prize and the face of the game — will probably be opposed by one of many faces of baseball in Korea. Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim hails from close by Bucheon and as soon as performed his KBO residence video games in the exact same ballpark.
Right here’s what it’s essential to learn about Wednesday’s opener:
When is the sport, and the way can I watch it?
First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. native time in Seoul — which equates to six:05 a.m. ET and three:05 a.m. PT on Wednesday morning. The sport will stream within the U.S. on MLB.TV. and also will be televised domestically on SportsNet LA in Los Angeles. A nationwide telecast will probably be obtainable on ESPN.
Followers in San Diego, Tijuana and the Padres’ residence territory can watch each video games dwell or on demand for FREE on Padres.TV, the re-branded streaming possibility for all common season Padres video games. Followers also can tune in to observe the video games dwell domestically on ESPN or hear on 97.3 The Fan and XEMO-AM La Poderosa 860.
Who’re the beginning pitchers?
Dodgers: RHP Tyler Glasnow (10-7, 3.53 ERA final season)
Glasnow will get the Recreation 1 nod, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto slated to start out Recreation 2, because the Dodgers flip to 2 of their prized pitching acquisitions from the offseason. Los Angeles acquired Glasnow from Tampa Bay in a December commerce. Wednesday will mark Glasnow’s second profession Opening Day begin, after he began the opener for Tampa Bay in 2021.
Padres: RHP Yu Darvish (8-10, 4.56 ERA final season)
It’s the fourth Opening Day begin for Darvish and his third as a Padre, with San Diego opting to show to Darvish forward of Joe Musgrove for Recreation 2. Darvish is coming off an injury-riddled 2023 and was shut down in August as a result of a stress response in his proper elbow. However he obtained clearance for a full offseason program in November and has been sharp all spring.
What are the possible beginning lineups?
Dodgers: The Dodgers rolled out their star-studded lineup within the two exhibition video games in Seoul, and it has the possibility to be one of the vital dominant in Main League historical past. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman will probably be main the way in which all season lengthy.
Padres: Manny Machado is coming off October elbow surgical procedure and is slated to start the yr as a chosen hitter, leaving the Padres with a emptiness at third base. Graham Pauley, Eguy Rosario and Tyler Wade are the candidates to fill it. In the meantime, Jackson Merrill appears poised to turn into the youngest Opening Day middle fielder since Andruw Jones in 1996 — regardless of studying the place on the fly this spring.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Dodgers: The Dodgers will navigate their bullpen similar to what they did to finish final season. Evan Phillips will get nearly all of save alternatives, however he’ll even be obtainable in high-leverage spots earlier in video games. Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen may also be in high-leverage spots. If the Dodgers want a number of innings out of the bullpen, they’ll have Kyle Damage, Michael Grove and Ryan Yarbrough prepared for a number of frames.
Padres: San Diego by no means formally named a more in-depth, although that position will virtually actually fall to Robert Suarez, who spent the previous couple seasons serving as Josh Hader’s setup man. Steven Wilson, who went to the White Sox within the Dylan Stop commerce, is a notable loss. However newcomers Yuki Matsui and Wandy Peralta might assist fill these setup innings. In the meantime, Michael King, who was acquired as a starter, will probably be obtainable out of the ‘pen for the 2 video games in Korea.
Dodgers: Brusdar Graterol didn’t make the journey to South Korea as he continues to work by means of hip and proper shoulder discomfort. The Dodgers hope to have Graterol again sooner or later early within the season.
Padres: Machado’s October elbow surgical procedure will restrict him to DH duties. In any other case, none.
Who’s sizzling, who’s not?
Dodgers: Betts, Ohtani and Freeman had terrific springs for the Dodgers. The identical may be mentioned for Muncy, James Outman and Hernández. The Dodgers’ lineup doesn’t have many holes this season.
Padres: Merrill put forth a red-hot spring, hitting .351 with a .995 OPS within the Cactus League to earn his beginning spot. Kim was equally glorious, going 8-for-26 (.308) with 4 extra-base hits in Catcus League play earlier than hitting two homers in an exhibition in opposition to the LG Twins on Monday in Korea. Bogaerts, in the meantime, struggled for many of camp, hitting .233 with a .657 OPS.
The rest followers ought to know?
• Recreation 1 counts as a Padres residence sport (with the 2 groups flipping for Recreation 2). Meaning Ohtani and Darvish are prone to sq. off within the high of the primary inning. Teammates with Group Japan throughout final yr’s run to the World Baseball Basic title, Ohtani and Darvish have by no means confronted one another within the massive leagues.
• Bogaerts already owns a spot in worldwide baseball historical past as the one participant with residence runs in 4 completely different nations — the US, Canada, England (in London with the Purple Sox in 2019) and Mexico (in Mexico Metropolis with the Padres in ‘23).
• The Padres and Dodgers have met as soon as earlier than on the worldwide stage, taking part in three video games in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2018. In Recreation 1 of that collection, right-hander Walker Buehler spearheaded a mixed no-hitter for the Dodgers, however the Padres would reply by profitable the subsequent two video games.
