Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced the “World Tour” schedule for the 2024 season. The ’24 campaign will kick off with a two-game series between the Padres and Dodgers in Seoul on March 20-21.
Those will be the first MLB regular season contests ever played in South Korea. The league had been slated to play four exhibition games in the nation — two in Seoul, two in Busan — over the 2022-23 offseason. That event was canceled, which MLB attributed to a contractual issue with a local promoter.
While the season-opening Korean set is the most notable development, the World Tour will also again take clubs to Mexico and the United Kingdom. The Rockies and Astros are slated for a two-game set in Mexico City on April 27-28. The Padres and Giants played there this April. MLB had previously announced a two-game set between the Mets and Phillies in London on June 8-9. The Cubs and Cardinals met in England last month.
Along with the three regular season series, MLB is sending the Rays and Red Sox to Santo Domingo for a pair of Spring Training games. The Dominican Republic exhibition contests will take place on March 9-10.
MLB and the MLBPA formed the World Tour program during the most recent round of collective bargaining. The league will schedule up to 24 regular season games and 16 Spring Training contests scattered throughout Latin America, Asia and Europe over the course of the CBA.
I don’t mind the “World Tour” but I really hate it when they are playing regular season games for two teams while the others are in Spring Training playing exhibition games. They did it in Japan and Australia and neither of those series felt like real baseball games. Just make them exhibitions and call it a day. Regular season games should not be played outside MLB stadiums.
The only question is whether Jung Hoo Lee will be playing for the Dodgers (my guess) or the Padres!
With the Australia series the Diamondbacks added Ryan Rowland-Smith to their roster just for that series. In the Japan series, Ichiro postponed his retirement until afterward. I imagine there will be a South Korean or two added to the roster of one or both teams just for that series.
Actually, it was planned as Ichiro’s final game because it was in Japan and the game counted in the standings. I forget the inning but Ichiro too his place in rf. At a certain point he came out of the game for the last time and was given a huge ovation.
That was my point. If the A’s Mariners series were stateside, Ichiro would have probably retired at the end of the prior year.
Agreed.
Do concur. Good post
Should be a contest between s.f giants and lotte giants MLB messed up
Manfred the GOAT commish!
Funny
Through the lockout Manfred single handily saved last season. Without the lockout the players would have struck during the season.
Greediest Old Awful Tyrant. Yes, I agree.
It’s a wonder the owners still employ him. He must be doing a terrible job for them.
The owners are the ones who hired him because they’re the ones who pay him.
I believe your sarcasm detector is on the fritz.
You think he’s a future HOFer too?
Yeah I think he is and I don’t dislike him like many here. He got us games in 2020 and that was no easy feat. Then the lockout. And the small changes he’s been making which isn’t so bad in action. Still hate the ghost runner and pitch clock but I get his reasoning. There are a lot of egos he needs to deal with and no one has called for his flogging.
When will they play in North Korea?
Most likely never.
When MLB wants to play the season two teams short.
Would solve that old contraction issue…
The Pyongyang Royals. It’s got a nice ring.
You would be publicly-stoned and sent to hard labor for life for even proposing that name. There is only one Royal in NK. How dare you!
The contraction issue solved itself. There’s no longer a commissioner/owner trying to erase the nearest competition franchise.
We’ll send Dennis Rodman with them so they’ll come back alive.
I’d like to the hot sister Kim throw out the first pitch
They should just send Manfred to N. Korea. That should get rid of him long enough for others with mental clarity undo the damage he’s already done to the game.
This is so dumb.
Why if it gets MLB baseball a million new fans?
I’ll be there…all you need is some grass, dirt and a few nearsighted umpires and a baseball game ya got!
The MLB World Tour continues…
Bring back the Blue Jays series in Montreal at the end of spring training! It was always great to see Olympic stadium packed for a few exhibition games.
Olympic Stadium is still standing? I’m all for bb returning to Montreal, but not there.
They could play in a temp stadium the soccer team in MLS holds 25 thousand and is next door to Olympic stadium
My prediction is it’s not gonna happen.
Don’t like MLB teams going to other countries to play ball. Too risky.
Risk of what?
Cooties.
Paving the way of an actual WORLD Series. Probably doesn’t like the WBC either.
Human trafficking.
DB22, you think MLB players going to the countries they’ve gone to and will be going to are at risk of being victims of human trafficking???
No I’m messing around. But I don’t like them taking 10-12 hour flights. I probably watch too much of the show “Air Disasters.” Always oil the jack screw 2x a year minimum…
They are flying most of the time regardless. Most of flight disasters happen taking off or landing, both of those happen every flight regardless of flight duration.
Neck injuries on first class pillows?
Getting stuck in the tiny restrooms…Some big guys on these teams..
Luis Garcia won’t be a Padre next year
MLB Teams go every season to another Country when they go play in Canada while a Canadian Team plays 1/2 their season in the U S A
Without Toronto, it would be the “National” Series rather than the North American Series. So why not recruit globally for fans and players if we have the audacity to call it the “World Series”?
I think the biggest issue with the major pro sports going global is time zones. They’d have to start with at least an entire division of teams to mitigate it. Even then scheduling would b a logistical nightmare to try and soften the impact the drastic changes in times zones would play.
Agree. We are recruiting fans and players to get excited about MLB, but no one should consider actually locating teams outside North America at least not until a Star Trek style transporter exists.
That’s a very American-centric way of thinking about it and I’m not saying you’re wrong. We’re still ways off from having a true World Series. Live soccer and golf fans don’t appear to have an issue with it bc it’s what they’re used to. I remember once waking up somewhere in Asia at 5am to watch the Superbowl.
West coast dwellers also have deal with time zones if they’re a fan of an east coast team. I’m spoiled bc I live in EST.
I think Manny and Tigers are referring to the challenges of travel across oceans and continents for the teams. It’s hard enough for players traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast; players would really struggle with regular trans-oceanic travel in a regular season context.
That’s exactly what I was referring to. I see the NFL as the first league to make that jump if and when it were to happen. With them having one game a weak, bye weeks, and division heavy schedule; it just seems most feasible if they feel the demand is their to add a 4 team division.
“West coast dwellers” seems like it’s intended as a dig, but I could be wrong.
A Yankees fan happy to live in the Eastern Time Zone is no shocker, however, I enjoyed living in the Mountain Time Zone when World Series games would end around 10:00 instead of midnight.
I can’t see MLB ever expanding across either ocean.
I like baseball. I hate baseball gimmicks especially those created by people who clearly don’t actually like baseball but love money. The most hated gimmick is the extra inning ghost runner. Why not just load the bases and add six outs to the inning? Limiting tosses to check runners at first is a gimmick that cheaper skills of really talented base runners. Playing regular Season games over seas helps who exactly? It is all pathetic nonsense driven by marketing types to raise money. And don’t get me started on the horrible preoccupation baseball created with sanctioned gambling. Lastly, attending a game live means going to a riot of drunks fueled by unlimited beer sales. Sad.
I hate the ghost runner as well. As for playing over seas it helps the sport as a whole. Generating interest is how you expand a fan base. With the multitude of entertainment options these days pro sports leagues have to b proactive in trying to sustain a fan base.
Yeah, if I was empower, in the regular season extra innings would be limited to the 10th inning and the rules for the 10th would be the same as the other innings so no ghost runners. If it is tied after 10 innings then it stays a tie. And for the post season, I would keep the 10th inning normal as well.
Not a fan of this or all the changes. Leave the game alone.
I don’t know how old thomasg1951 is (1951 could be a clue), but I can’t think of any changes to the game in the last several decades with the exclusion of 2023 with the exception of the DH.
Aside from the 80s which only had one rule change(requiring catchers to wear protective helmets). Every other decade since MLBs inception has seen numerous rule changes.
Avenger
Inter-league play is an example. I originally opposed it and now I like it.
Some people still oppose it. I would love to see MLB expand by 2 and eliminate interleague play completely. But I am aware that is very unlikely to ever happen. So now I just have to watch the Rockies play the Mariners, Twins, Orioles, and a bunch of other AL teams that I don’t know or care about every year.
What’s wrong with you people always screaming racism?
Ha-Seong Kim returns a hero! Go Pads
Padres will actually be in first place, well at least one game..
Sweeeeet!
You sir are nothing but an ass. You like to think of yourself as the be-all and end-all of Baseball. News for you, you’re not. You’re welcome to your opinion but, stop stating everything as fact. Not everything you post is fact.
@Steph, You sir are nothing but an ass. You like to think of yourself as the be-all and end-all of Baseball. News for you, you’re not. You’re welcome to your opinion but, stop stating everything as fact. Not everything you post is fact.
Clayton Kershaw should NOT go to Korea if he is still playing for the Dodgers because when the Dodgers Opened up in Australia that is when he developed his back issues & it’s the last thing that Dodger & Kershaw Fans should want him to go to Korea
Are you trying to say the back issue was caused by the duration and comfort of the accommodations on the private jet they took to Australia???
Clayton Kershaw pitched the 1st Game in Australia & when the Dodgers returned to the States Clayton started having back issues & if he is still playing for the Dodgers he should remain in Arizona & continue with Spring Training
Again are you saying that it was the accommodations on the luxury private jet they fly on? Or you saying it’s the air overseas? The metric system?? What exactly are u saying puts him at risk??
Nothing like an evening out of the schedule like flying two of the highest paid teams across the ocean to perform in front of people that don’t understand the game and don’t really give a rats ass. Manfred is a Moron! 2026 the World Series will be in Berlin .
Why do you think that South Korean fans do not understand the game? I am not saying that you are right or wrong but if you are going to make that type of inflammatory statement back it up with some citations or references.
@bj ummmmm, KBO is the third largest baseball league on this planet. Korean players play here and Americans, Dominicans, Venezuelans etc. play in their league. It’s very popular, widely viewed, and understood by schoolchildren to senior citizens.
God forbid MLB does something to promote baseball in other countries.
Quite frankly, a lot of people on here have an insular and a US-centered way of thinking. If you love a sport, don’t you want to help it expand?
Is ignorance with an exclamation any less?
Now if the South Koreans don’t know the game of Baseball then why does the Country have a Professional Baseball League & I wonder didn’t Korean Pitchers Chan Ho Park, Byung-hyun Kim & Hyun Jin Ryu & Position Players Shin Shoo Choo not only played in MLB & became All Stars
Hot dog may not be what you think you ordered.