The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to play the first ever game featuring an MLB team in South Korea on Sunday, March 17, at 12:07 p.m. local time (Saturday, March 16, at 8:07 p.m. PT) when they face the Kiwoom Heroes of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) in an exhibition matchup at Gocheok Sky Dome.
It is one of two exhibition games the Dodgers play prior to the Seoul Series against the San Diego Padres to open the 2024 regular season. The Dodgers also face the Korea National team on Monday, March 18, at 7:07 p.m. (Monday, March 17 at 3:07 p.m. PT).
The Dodgers previously announced Tyler Glasnow would open their season against the Padres with Yoshinobu Yamamoto going in Game 2, but they still have the other 18 innings to fill prior to that point.
“We’re going to run a lot of our relievers out there and then Bobby (Miller) is going to take down the next game with a couple other guys,” manager Dave Roberts said. “It’ll essentially be a bullpen game.”
Only 31 players were allowed to travel to South Korea, with 16 of them being pitchers. While it’s less than they’ve had throughout Cactus League play, the Dodgers still have more than enough arms to cover the necessary innings.
Their group of starting pitchers includes Glasnow, Yamamoto, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Ryan Yarbrough, Kyle Hurt, Michael Grove and Landon Knack.
Among their relief options, the Dodgers have Ryan Brasier, J.P. Feyereisen, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen, Gus Varland and Alex Vesia available in South Korea, so most of them should pitch over their next two games.
With Glasnow, Yamamoto and Miller scheduled to start the other games, all of them are ruled out for the first exhibition, but the rest of the rotation group should be available to take on innings, which is a role Grove, Hurt and Yarbrough all have experience in.
Dodgers roster for South Korea trip
The Dodgers announced their full roster of 31 that made the trip to South Korea, but they will have to cut that number down to 29 when the regular season begins. Their active roster for the games will consist of 26 players and three on the taxi squad.
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