MLB last played in Asia in 2019, when Mariners legend Ichiro Suzuki said goodbye to baseball during a game in Tokyo against the A’s.getty images
MLB will extend its international reach into a new Asian market, with sources saying that South Korea is the leading location to host a season-opening series in 2024.
That would mark the first MLB regular-season games in that country and add to an international growth plan that has seen the league schedule such games in Mexico City (four two-game series), London (three), San Juan (two) and Tokyo and Paris (one each) between 2023 and 2026.
The push marks the “most ambitious international play plan in league history,” according to Jim Small, MLB’s senior vice president of international.
This would not be the league’s first foray into South Korea. MLB opened an office in Seoul three years ago and set up grassroots programs and localized content in that market. Seoul hosted a round of the World Baseball Classic in 2017, and MLB has a Home Run Derby X event scheduled for Incheon in September.
However, as Small said, “Going back with major league teams matters.”
The pandemic gave the league a chance to regroup concerning its international plan. Its internal strategy team worked with Boston Consulting Group to conduct a study that included modeling future international performance based on what other sports and media properties have done in the global marketplace. Among the study’s findings was MLB’s potential in South Korea.
“We think it’s essential to actually go and play games there,” said Chris Marinak, MLB chief operations and strategy officer. “We’re really optimistic that a game in Korea fits with our strategy and will be a really big positive for that market in terms of growing baseball globally.”
MLB’s international push included a competitive bidding process in 2020, in which more than 20 municipalities across the globe expressed interest in hosting games.
Teams are angling to play overseas. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox are among several clubs that have expressed interest to the league about playing in Paris in June 2025, according to Small.
In determining which teams get the opportunity, Small said there are several factors to consider. He called the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Red Sox and Yankees “truly global brands” but emphasized that smaller-market teams also carry international appeal.
Small said the Seattle Mariners, for example, are “arguably our No. 1 team in Japan,” thanks largely to legendary Japanese player Ichiro Suzuki’s longtime star turn with Seattle.
“We really have a wide palette to choose from,” Small said.
MLB will not follow an NFL-style international marketing plan that designates specific international fan bases for each NFL team, Small said.
During All-Star week festivities, MLB held meetings with officials from Korea, Japanese media giant and league partner Dentsu and World Baseball Classic executives, Marinak said.
MLB league executives also met with World Baseball Softball Confederation President Riccardo Fraccari and USA Baseball CEO Paul Seiler regarding long-term plays at growing the game.
“We’re looking to make a splash internationally [beginning] in 2023,” Marinak said. “And we’re really excited about where things go.”