AJ Cassavell
Juan Toribio
The wait is over. Baseball is again. And it\u2019s onerous to think about a greater opening act for the 2024 season than this one: an NL West showdown midway internationally, that includes Main League Baseball\u2019s first regular-season video games in South Korea.
Set your alarms. The Padres and Dodgers sq. off in Recreation 1 of the Seoul Series<\/a> on Wednesday morning at 3:05 a.m. PT (6:05 a.m. ET).
The Gocheok SkyDome provides fairly a setting for Shohei Ohtani\u2019s Dodgers debut. Ohtani — the offseason\u2019s largest free-agent prize and the face of the game — will likely 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\u2019s what you have to learn about Wednesday\u2019s opener:
When is the sport, and the way can I watch it?<\/strong>
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<\/a>. and also will be televised domestically on SportsNet LA in Los Angeles. A nationwide telecast will likely 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<\/strong> on Padres.TV<\/a>, the re-branded streaming possibility for all common season Padres video games. Followers may tune in to look at the video games dwell domestically on ESPN or pay attention on 97.3 The Fan and XEMO-AM La Poderosa 860.
After the sport, an archive of the broadcast<\/a> will likely be obtainable at no cost.
Who’re the beginning pitchers?<\/strong>
Dodgers:<\/strong> 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\u2019s second profession Opening Day begin, after he began the opener for Tampa Bay in 2021.
Padres:<\/strong> RHP Yu Darvish (8-10, 4.56 ERA final season)
It\u2019s 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, who will begin Recreation 2. Darvish is coming off an injury-riddled 2023 and was shut down in August on account of a stress response in his proper elbow. However he acquired clearance for a full offseason program in November and has been sharp all spring.
What are the beginning lineups?<\/strong>
Dodgers:<\/strong> The Dodgers rolled out their star-studded lineup within the two exhibition video games in Seoul, and it has the prospect to be one of the dominant in Main League historical past. Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman will likely be main the best way all season lengthy.
Padres:<\/strong> 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 has formally made the group and is now formally listed as an outfielder, establishing the career-long shortstop to grow to be the youngest Opening Day middle fielder since Andruw Jones in 1996, and simply the fourth below the age of 21 within the growth period (since 1969) — regardless of having realized the place on the fly this spring. Merrill will flip 21 on April 19.
Signal as much as obtain our each day Morning Lineup<\/a> to remain within the know in regards to the newest trending subjects round Main League Baseball.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?<\/strong>
Dodgers:<\/strong> 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\u2019ll even be obtainable in high-leverage spots earlier in video games. Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen may even be in high-leverage spots. If the Dodgers want a number of innings out of the bullpen, they\u2019ll have Kyle Harm, Michael Grove and Ryan Yarbrough prepared for a number of frames.
Padres:<\/strong> San Diego by no means formally named a better, although that function will virtually actually fall to Robert Suarez, who spent the previous couple seasons serving as Josh Hader\u2019s 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 may assist fill these setup innings. In the meantime, Michael King, who was acquired as a starter, will likely be obtainable out of the \u2018pen for the 2 video games in Korea.
Any accidents of notice?<\/strong>
Dodgers:<\/strong> 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:<\/strong> Machado\u2019s October elbow surgical procedure will restrict him to DH duties. In any other case, none.
Who\u2019s scorching, who\u2019s not?<\/strong>
Dodgers:<\/strong> Betts, Ohtani and Freeman had terrific springs for the Dodgers. The identical may be stated for Muncy, James Outman and Hern\u00e1ndez. The Dodgers\u2019 lineup doesn\u2019t have many holes this season.
Padres:<\/strong> 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 against the LG Twins<\/a> 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?<\/strong>
\u2022<\/strong> Recreation 1 counts as a Padres residence recreation (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 Staff Japan throughout final yr\u2019s run to the World Baseball Basic title, Ohtani and Darvish have by no means confronted one another within the large leagues.
\u2022<\/strong> Bogaerts already owns a spot in worldwide baseball historical past as the one participant with residence runs in 4 totally different nations — the US, Canada, England (in London with the Crimson Sox in 2019) and Mexico (in Mexico Metropolis with the Padres in \u201823).
\u2022<\/strong> The Padres and Dodgers have met as soon as earlier than on the worldwide stage, enjoying three video games in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2018. In Recreation 1 of that collection, right-hander Walker Buehler spearheaded a combined no-hitter for the Dodgers<\/a>, however the Padres would reply by profitable the subsequent two video games.<\/p>\n