Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers Debut Subject to Blackouts in Los Angeles, San Diego Markets
While the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres' upcoming showdown in South Korea will make history, it may be difficult for some fans to watch it.
ESPN announced Monday it would be broadcasting the 2024 Seoul Series, a two-game set between the Dodgers and Padres in the first instance of regular season MLB action in Korea. The opening contest, which takes place March 20, will be Shohei Ohtani's first with the Dodgers, and it will also mark Ha-Seong Kim’s return to his home country.
In a press release put out by the network, however, it was confirmed that the ESPN broadcasts would be subject to local blackout restrictions in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets. As a result, it does not seem like fans in those areas will be able to watch the game on ESPN.
The games will still be aired in the Los Angeles and San Diego markets, but only on the local stations, which are typically less accessible than the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
For Dodgers fans, they will have to watch on Spectrum SportsNet LA. As for Padres fans, the team's TV future remains up in the air after Diamond Sports Group declared bankruptcy and lost the right to air Padres games on Bally Sports San Diego this past May. YurView California and MLB.TV were the home of most Padres games in the latter half of 2023.
Both games – which are scheduled for March 20 and 21 – will start at 8 p.m. in Seoul, which translates to 6 a.m. ET and 3 a.m. PT. So on top of the broadcast question marks, fans will have to set their alarms nice and early to get their first taste of Ohtani in Dodger blue.
Ohtani will be the major draw that week, considering the Japanese slugger and ace just signed a record-shattering deal with the Dodgers this winter, but he isn't the only MVP who is slated to take the field that day. Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman are among the stars on Los Angeles' side of the historic international showdown, while Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts will all command the spotlight in San Diego's dugout.
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