The MLB regular season kicks off in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday morning. Two NL West foes, the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, will square off in a two-game series to get the season started on the other side of the world. Both teams have quite a few new faces in their respective locker rooms. I’ll dive into a short preview of the matchup, and then let’s get into my MLB Seoul Series Bets for March 20th!
CHECK OUT THE SPORTS GAMBLING PODCAST’S DAILY BEST BETS
MLB Seoul Series Bets March 20th
General Info
Time: 6:05 a.m. ET
Channel: ESPN
Place: Gocheok Sky Dome (Seoul, South Korea)
Starters: Tyler Glasnow (Dodgers) vs. Yu Darvish (Padres)
Odds: Dodgers -185, -115 RL (-1.5) | Padres +160, -105 RL (+1.5) | O/U 8.5
Preview
There are quite a few storylines leading up to this matchup. First of all, this is MLB’s first-ever regular season game in Korea. Secondly, as previously mentioned, both teams are looking different than they did last season.
LA brought in Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani in the offseason, and both will make their Dodger debuts on Wednesday.
On the other hand, San Diego lost one of their key stars in Juan Soto, who they shipped with Trent Grisham to the Bronx for Michael King, Randy Vasquez, Johny Brito, Kyle Higoshioka, and Drew Thorpe.
It will also be interesting to see 20-year-old Jackson Merrill for the Padres. Merrill will become the third centerfielder in MLB history to start on Opening Day before his 21st birthday, joining Ken Griffey Jr. and Andruw Jones.
Seoul Series Game Bet
Both Darvish and Glasnow struggled with injuries in the 2023 season and will be looking to get off on the right track in 2024. Neither pitcher pitched much in Spring Training, although it’s tough to seriously consider exhibition game stats. For what it’s worth, both starters looked good, with Glasnow looking particularly dominant.
Although this Dodgers lineup is loaded from top to bottom, Darvish has had success against the Dodgers in his career with a 2.38 ERA in 12 games started.
Even if the Dodgers are able to score runs early, I expect the Padres to keep it close with their offensive talent. Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Manny Machado will all look to bounce back after slight down seasons last year.
Despite losing closer Josh Hader, San Diego still has talented arms in the bullpen that can close out a tight game.
Best Bet: Padres +1.5 -105
Seoul Series Prop Bet
Ha-Seong Kim is not only playing in his home country on Wednesday but also in his old home stadium. When Kim played in the KBO before signing with San Diego, he played his home games at Gocheok Sky Dome for the Kimwoom Heroes.
On Monday, Kim homered twice at Gocheok Sky Dome in an exhibition against the LG Twins. I think Kim stays hot where he is comfortable back home.
Prop Bet: Ha-Seong Kim to Record 2+ Bases +180
