MLB Heading To South Korea in November
Major League Baseball is taking its talent to South Korea this offseason.
The league and the Major League Baseball Players Association announced Friday morning that MLB players will play a four-game "2022 Korea Series" with Korean Baseball Organization players from Nov. 9-16. Games will take place in Busan at the Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium on Nov. 11 and 12 and at Seoul’s Gocheok Sky Dome on Nov. 14 and 15.
“Major League Baseball is excited to travel to Busan and Seoul for this historic series,” MLB chief operations and strategy officer Chris Marinak said in a statement. “This tour is the next step of MLB’s plan to deliver regular baseball events in Korea in the coming years and follows our upcoming Home Run Derby X, scheduled for September 17 in Seoul. South Korea’s rich baseball tradition has produced many accomplished Major League players, including All-Stars Chan Ho Park and Shin-Soo Choo, as well as current Blue Jays pitcher Hyun Jin Ryu and Rays first baseman Ji-Man Choi. We thank J-One and the KBO for partnering with us and the MLBPA on this great event.”
Other big leaguers from Korea who have played in the majors this year include San Diego's Ha-Seong Kim, Pittsburgh's Hoy Park and Boston's Rob Refsnyder, per Baseball Reference.
MLB players have not played exhibition games in Korea since 1922. A group that included Casey Stengel, Waite Hoyt and Herb Pennock played across Asia that year, stopping in Japan and China, in addition to South Korea.
“South Korea’s rich baseball history and its knowledgeable, fun-loving and highly engaged fan base make it an ideal place to showcase our Major League Players as we continue expanding our game globally,” said Leonor Colon, the MLBPA senior director, international and domestic player operations. “Among today’s elite Major League stars are first-class South Korean athletes who are also premier standouts in international tournaments like the World Baseball Classic.”
The 2022 Korea Series is part of MLB's World Tour, an international plan featuring up to 24 regular season games and up to 16 exhibition games across the globe. Games will be played in Asia, Mexico, Latin America and Europe through the 2026 season.
