Just by the name, a showdown between super-special starters that will make Major League fans excited is expected. The heat of the “2024 Major League Opening Seoul Series,” which will be held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul from the 20th to the 21st, is burning.
Major League Baseball’s official website “MLB.com ” unveiled the starting pitchers of the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres who will face off in the Seoul Series on the 12th (안전놀이터). The two teams will play the opening game of the 2024 season from the 20th to the 21st. However, the venue is Gocheok Sky Dome in Korea, not the United States. The opening game will be held in Korea due to the World Tour, which is carried out by the Major League Secretariat to expand the base of baseball.
In Game 1 of the Seoul Series that will take place on Tuesday, the Dodgers predicted Tyler Glasnow, and the San Diego Padres countered with Yu Darvish. A day later, in Game 2, the Dodgers picked Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a freshman, and the San Diego Padres chose Joe Musgrove.
Game 1 selection, Dodgers Glasnow vs San Diego Darvish
Glasnow was traded from the Tampa Bay Rays and joined the Dodgers ahead of this season. Since his debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2016, he has recorded 30 wins, 27 losses and 529 ⅔ innings in 127 games (88 starters) with an ERA of 3.89 678 strikeouts and 1.21 WHIP (per-inning rate). He is the type of fastball pitcher who overwhelms opponents by banking on fastballs with speeds of up to 99 miles per hour (about 159.3 kilometers).
Of course, he has never recorded a prescribed number of innings (162 innings) since his debut due to frequent injuries, but he is an attractive card in that he is a pitcher who can display outstanding pitching with strong pitching if he is healthy. Last year, he played for Tampa Bay with 10-7 losses and 120 innings of ERA 3.53 and 162 strikeouts in 21 games, marking his first double-digit victory in his career.
The San Diego Padres uses veteran Darvish to deal with Glasnow. Darvish joined the big league as a member of the Texas Rangers in 2012 after playing the Japanese pro baseball league. His overall record is 103-85 in 266 games, with 1,624 ⅓ innings with an ERA of 3.59 in 1929 strikeouts and 1.14. His strength is not only his outstanding speed but also his various breaking balls that mislead opposing batters. He has quality sliders, curves, and splitters.
Darvish took the mound in an exhibition game against the Seattle Mariners on the same day and checked his performance by allowing three hits, one walk, one strikeout and one run in four innings. His team made the final check before the Seoul Series, as it entered Korea after the Arizona Diamondbacks match on the 13th and the Oakland Athletics match on the 14th.
Game 2 starter, Dodgers Yamamoto Yoshinobu vs San Diego Musgrove
The first round’s starting showdown is also spectacular, and the second round is also not lagging behind. Both teams will take over the series with the best cards.
The Dodgers will recruit its freshman Yamamoto. When he was a member of the Orix Buffaloes in the Japanese pro baseball league, Yamamoto joined the Dodgers through a posting system (closed competitive bidding) last year. The size of his 12-year contract is up to 325 million U.S. dollars. He broke the previous record of guaranteed amount for a pitcher in the Major League, surpassing the previous record of 324 million dollars for nine years by Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees. As a rookie player who has played in a single big league, he is drawing all the more attention.
The San Diego Padres chose Musgrove, a professional player who proved his career by winning double digits during the 2021-2023 season, rather than a freshman. Having appeared in the big league with the Houston Astros in 2016, Musgrove is currently positioned as the ace of the San Diego Padres. He swept 31 wins for three years, and only played three games due to a shoulder injury in the second half of last year, but displayed his presence by achieving 10 wins. However, his performance has been somewhat sluggish in this exhibition game. He allowed eight runs in one ⅔ as a starter in both games. It is imperative to shake off the injury and regain pace.
Meanwhile, infielder Kim Ha-sung and reliever Ko Woo-seok from San Diego are also expected to play in the game to be held in Korea.
It’s an honor to be selected for the opening game, and I’m excited… Pitchers’ determination
The opening game is the same, but the opening game has a different meaning. This is because it marks the beginning of a new season. It is meaningful for players to start the game as a starting pitcher to announce the start of the game.
“It means everything (to start an opening game),” Glasnow told MLB.com after the starting pitcher was chosen. “I’m very proud of myself, and I’m feeling very excited.”
For veteran Darvish, starting the opening game means a lot to him as well. “Obviously, I am really honored and happy about this. It is even more special because I have never been to Korea. It means a lot to me, but we are facing a team that added good players,” he said.
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