Dodgers, Padres to Play 1st-Ever Regular Season Games in South Korea in 2024

The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will take their California rivalry to South Korea next season.

Major League Baseball announced Wednesday that the Dodgers will take on the Padres in two regular season games in Seoul, South Korea, to kick off the 2024 season on March 20-21, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement:

"We can't wait to play meaningful Major League games for the very first time in front of the outstanding baseball fans of South Korea next season. The Dodgers have a long and proud history of helping to grow the game abroad, highlighted by our trips to Mexico, China and Australia. It's very exciting to add Korea to the list. I know our players are thrilled to put their talents on display in a country so rich with baseball tradition and talent, including former Dodgers Chan Ho Park, Hee-Seop Choi and Hyun-Jin Ryu."

MLB also announced that the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies will meet for a two-game series in Mexico City during the 2024 regular season. Additionally, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will meet for a pair of preseason games at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

In an effort to grow the game, MLB first began playing outside of the United States and Canada in 1996 when the Padres and New York Mets met for a three-game series at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in Mexico.

The Padres and Rockies also played one game at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in 1999.

The league shifted international games to Japan's Tokyo Dome beginning in 2000 with the Mets taking on the Chicago Cubs. In 2004, the Rays and New York Yankees met at the Tokyo Dome and the venue hosted games between the Red Sox and Oakland Athletics in 2008 and the A's and Seattle Mariners in 2012.

The Dodgers took on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia in 2014 and also met the Padres at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey in 2018.

The Tokyo Dome and Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey also hosted games in 2019, as did London Stadium in England.

Additionally, the Padres took on the San Francisco Giants at Mexico City's Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú this season and the Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals at London Stadium.