For the first time in Major League Baseball history, a regular-season game will be played in South Korea, and the San Diego Padres’ Kim Ha-seong is both excited and worried.
“I’m excited, but I’m also worried,” Kim said ahead of the Padres’ away game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on Sept. 19 (KST), sharing his thoughts on the opening game in Seoul, which is set to take place next March.메이저놀이터
Kim, who is under contract with the Padres through 2024, is likely to play in the opener unless something changes. There’s nothing like playing in front of your hometown fans as a big leaguer.
Kim is both excited and nervous about the opening game in Seoul. Photo by MK Sports DB
“I think the fans will want to see major league players play,” he said, expressing his hope that it will be a great experience for Korean baseball fans.
At the same time, he also expressed concern. “I hope a lot of young baseball players will come and watch. But I’m worried that the Gocheok Dome doesn’t have enough seats,” he said, adding that young baseball dreamers will not have the opportunity to watch the game.
The Gocheok Dome is a stadium with a capacity of 16,000 people. It’s not a small stadium in the KBO, but it’s not big enough for a major league game. There are already predictions that the competition for tickets will be fierce.
Kim is worried that dreamers who see the big leagues will be left out of the competition.
Regardless, the Padres players are excited about the prospect of visiting an unfamiliar country. “My teammates are asking me, ‘What are you going to eat in Korea,’ and ‘What are you going to do,'” Kim said.
San Diego manager Bob Melvin, who traveled to Japan as manager of the Oakland Athletics, also welcomed the visit, calling it “fantastic.”
“We’ve got Kim Ha-soo, but it’s great to see good players playing, and it helps to globalize the Major League Baseball brand. It’s great to be able to play in other countries, see other cultures, and celebrate the start of the season,” he said of the trip to Korea.