The place where '700 Million Dollar Man' Shohei Ohtani (29) leaves his first steps as 'Dodgers Man' is not Los Angeles (LA) in the United States or Tokyo, Japan, but Seoul, Korea.

The American Professional Baseball Major League (MLB) Secretariat confirmed and announced in July this year that the official opening game of the 2024 season between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego will be held at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20th and 21st next year. This 'Seoul Series' will be played in San Diego on the first day and the Dodgers' home game on the second day. The MLB Secretariat has previously held a total of eight season opening games in four overseas cities with the goal of 'globalizing baseball.' 카지노사이트랭크

The Seoul Series originally attracted attention as the stage for Kim Ha-seong (28), who plays for San Diego, to make a golden comeback. In addition, interest in the Seoul Series was growing among Korean fans as there was speculation that Lee Jeong-hoo (25) could join San Diego and Ryu Hyun-jin (36) could return to the Dodgers. Then, when Ohtani joined the Dodgers, Japanese fans' attention also turned to the Seoul Series. Ohtani and San Diego starting pitcher Yu Darubish (36) may face off against Japanese pitchers.

This is not the first time Otani has visited Seoul. Otani participated in the World Youth Baseball Championship held at Mokdong Stadium and Jamsil Stadium in Seoul in 2012 when he was a third year student at Hanamaki Higashi High School. Writer Hiroshi Oshima, who covers sports between Korea and Japan, said, “Seoul is the place where Otani was truly reborn as a ‘two-do-ryu’. He also explained, “This is because the 2012 tournament was the first time that Ohtani participated as both a pitcher and a hitter even in a tournament with a designated hitter system.” However, since Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September, he will only appear as a batsman in next year's Seoul Series.

After the Seoul Series ends, the Dodgers will return to LA and play a four-game series with St. Louis starting March 29. If there are no variables such as injury, this will be the first time Ohtani meets Dodgers home fans. The first match between the Dodgers and Ohtani's home team, the LA Angels, in 2024 will be held at Dodger Stadium on June 22nd and 23rd. The Dodgers' visit to Angel Stadium next season is scheduled for September 4th and 5th. 고스톱