4 major Dodgers storylines to monitor in the 2024 Seoul Series

Ovations for Ohtani

If the reception for Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers spring training debut was any indication, the slugger will be getting plenty of praise from fans throughout the 2024 season. Even though Ohtani is a global superstar, the Seoul Series should bring an increased frenzy of fans clamoring to see him. After all, a flight from Tokyo to Seoul is less than three hours, a far cry from the 10 hours it would take any Ohtani fans from Tokyo to reach Los Angeles.

In fact, if any indication was needed to see how excited fans are for the Seoul Series, there are fewer than 10 total tickets available on Stubhub for both games against the Padres combined. Both games will certainly be almost entirely sold out, and the anticipation for Ohtani to play so close to his home country for the first time since the 2023 World Baseball Classic will certainly lead to some raucous reactions from those in attendance.

Starting Pitching Showcase

A heavy focus of the Dodgers' offseason was revamping the pitching staff, more specifically the starters. L.A. recently made the official announcement that Tyler Glasnow will make his regular season Dodgers debut in Game 1 in Seoul, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto will make his MLB debut in Game 2. While Yamamoto's last few outings in Spring Training were rough, his first showing in a Dodgers uniform was dominant, and L.A. will hope that version of Yamamoto shows up once again to start the season off the right way.

On the other hand, Glasnow's most recent Spring Training start was remarkable. The righty made San Francisco Giants hitters look foolish, as he retired 16 of the 17 batters he faced in a 5.1-inning no-hit bid against the Giants. He lived up to his reputation as a strikeout pitcher as well, as he retired eight Giants in his final spring appearance by way of the K before he moves on to facing the Padres in Seoul.

Regardless of the recent spring training performances for these two pitchers, the stellar reputations of both arms speak for themselves, and Dodgers fans should be ecstatic to see such a strong duo take the mound in back-to-back games in Seoul against the Padres.