Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Looking Forward To Seoul Series: ‘Good For Baseball’

The Los Angeles Dodgers are scheduled to open the 2024 regular season by taking on the San Diego Padres in the Seoul Series in South Korea.

The two-game set from March 20-21 is being played at the Gocheok Sky Dome, with a pair of exhibition games against KBO teams prior. The Seoul Series is the first leg of the 2024 MLB World Tour, and the first time the Dodgers have taken part in an international series since the 2014 season.

“I’m excited to go to Seoul,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said. “I’ve never been. Obviously having a pitcher like (Hyun-Jin) Ryu before — obviously he’s not with us now — but talking about the city, I’m really looking forward to it, learning more about the culture, the city.

“Obviously there’s a lot of good ballplayers there, and so for us and the Padres to go over there and showcase and play two regular season games, it’s good for baseball. I’m excited.”

The Dodgers signed two of the top free agents this offseason in Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, which has elevated the overall buzz of not only the team but their international trip.

Tickets for the Seoul Series opening game sold out in less than an hour after going on sale, with roughly 40,000 people on the waiting list.

Dave Roberts praises Dodgers front office

The Dodgers made major waves in the sports landscape for the money committed this offseason to Ohtani, Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow.

In president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s tenure, the Dodgers have been known for a selective nature in who they bring into the franchise. Roberts recently noted he’s in a fortunate position with how many high character players the Dodgers have added.

“Our ownership and front office did a fantastic job, a lot of man-hours trying to work with both sides to get a deal done,” he said. “And again, the talent is the talent, and we’re all very excited about it, but these men are equally men of character.

“I know that our fanbase is going to really take to these men individually. And you know what it’s doing, not only for Los Angeles, our country, our sport, but the country of Japan. So this is a big win. This has been a monumental offseason for all of us.”