MLB Seoul Series Opening Night: Ohtani’s Dodgers Debut, Kim’s Korea Homecoming, Lineups, Predictions & More

Baseball fanatics all over the world just witnessed a double dose of drama. On Wednesday, the highly-anticipated Seoul Series is set to kick off in South Korea. The historic two-game set will be Major League Baseball’s first step into regular-season games on foreign land. Albeit all the hype, the fans’ enthusiasm was replaced with terror and shivers of a bomb threat targeting the Gocheok Sky Dome, specifying Shohei Ohtani’s name too, earlier in the day!

No harm done, thankfully. A swift in-depth investigation by the South Korean authorities, deemed the threat not credible. With that, the fans could heave a sigh of relief and the excitement on the excitement’o meter was back to maxing out. Given the celebration around this, one can’t help but get curious about the details.

The Dodgers-Padres clash in electrified Seoul Series opener

The series opener features a captivating pitching contention between two right-handed hurlers. Tyler Glasnow, one of the prized acquisitions of the Blue Crew toed the rubber for his much-awaited play in Dodger Blue. Glasnow, renowned for his overwhelming fastball and disruptive slider, is all set to silence the San Diego Padres’ bats.

His counterpart – the veteran Yu Darvish boasts a storied backdrop of success against the Dodgers. Yet whispers are swirling about Father Time catching up to the 37-year-old pitcher. The Dodgers’ lineup, underwent a massive bolstering in the off-season. Can we ever forget the noise around the acquisition of Shohei Ohtani? Plus there’s Teoscar Hernandez.

But that’s not it. There’s another layer of intrigue to the already heated rivalry. It is the return of Korean superstar Ha-Seong Kim for the Friars. For the first time, playing in front of his home crowd in an MLB regular-season game, Kim’s presence is something the Korean faithful can’t get over. With that, the the atmosphere at Gocheok Sky Dome is set to be as eclectic as ever.

Expert predictions favor Dodgers, but Padres aim to Spoil the Party

Leading up to the game, analysts seem to be inclining toward the Dodgers. Their roster laden with stars seems theoretically unstoppable. But will this projected unstoppable play create a mirror image of the same success and dominance on the diamond? Particularly on foreign soil on a global platform?

Read More : MLB Opening Day: Seoul Series Survives Bomb Threat, Dodgers-Padres All Set for Showdown

However, the Padres, are hungry contenders. All ready to dethrone Dodgers. Their young and talented core is anchored by the amazing Fernando Tatis Jr. And the ever-reliable Manny Machado, too is determined to pull off his play and crush the Dodgers’ Opening Day party plans as they compete on this historic stage. Having said that, one thing is for sure, the Seoul Series opener will be a night to remember.