MLB to open 2024 season with a first on foreign soil

Not only will next year's opener be MLB's first trip to Korea, but it will also be a homecoming for Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim. Kim is one of five active MLB players from South Korea, including Ji Hwan Bae, Hoy Park and Ji Man Choi of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Hyun Jin Ryu of the Toronto Blue Jays. 

A native of Bucheon in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea, Kim said he never would have imagined playing an MLB game in his home country. 

"I cannot express in words how happy I am to be able to play in Korea in a San Diego Padres uniform," Kim said, via the Padres. "It will be a very special memory for me to invite my teammates, staff, and coaches to our country and experience this great opportunity together." 

In an effort to grow the game, baseball will once again embark on a tour abroad next season. Along with the Padres and Dodgers trip, MLB will travel to the Dominican Republic while returning to London and Mexico City. 

The Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will play a pair of exhibition games in Santo Domingo on March 9 and 10. Meanwhile, The Houston Astros will take on the Colorado Rockies for two games in Mexico City (April 27 and 28) before the tour closes in London with a set of clashes between National League East rivals, the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies (June 8 and 9). 

In May, the Padres and San Francisco Giants sold out this year's Mexico City series, and the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs drew more than 100,000 UK fans a month later. If baseball's most recent international trips are any indication, the tour in 2024 should be another rousing success.