Seoul Series illustrates MLB's commitment to growing their brand globally
TOKYO — MLB is having another Opening Day abroad. The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres are facing each other in Seoul this year in a two-game series on March 20 and 21. It is the 15th time the league has played official games abroad, and the ninth time they have played Opening Day overseas, going back to the very first such Opening Day Series back in 1999 when the Colorado Rockies faced the Padres in Monterrey, Mexico.
Five of these series have been held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan: 2000 with the Mets and Cubs, 2004 with the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 2008 with the Boston Red Sox versus Oakland Athletics, and 2012 with the Seattle Mariners versus the Athletics. The most recent one was in 2019 when the Mariners and Athletics played two games at the Tokyo Dome, with Ichiro Suzuki playing his last games as a major leaguer. Next year, the Dodgers and Padres will play Opening Day in Sapporo and there are plans for the Yankees and the Red Sox to play in Paris in 2025.
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