MLB has experimented with exhibition games outside of the U.S. in recent years, and has prioritized global audience growth to the extent that the 2024 season will begin with the Korea Series on March 20, a full eight days before official Opening Day.
Live from the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, the LA Dodgers will meet the San Diego Padres at a ballpark which normally is home to the Korean Baseball League’s Kiwoon Heroes.
First pitch will be at 7:05 PM local time on Wednesday evening in Seoul, though the fan bases of these NL West foes will need to set their alarms for 3:05 AM PT to catch San Diego’s Yu Darvish on the mound for the inaugural plate appearance of 2024.
This will be the world’s first look at the Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani in their lineup, and oddsmakers have LA heavily favored over San Diego at -200 on the moneyline. Trade acquisition Tyler Glasnow will be on the bump for the Dodgers as their top starter, followed by the highly anticipated MLB debut of Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the second matchup of this two-game series on Thursday.
We’ve lined up our best bets for player props and are excited to present our first daily baseball picks of the season, courtesy of Underdog Fantasy. Play ball!
Yu Darvish OVER 5.0 Strikeouts
Darvish has faced the Dodgers 12 times in his career, averaging nearly eight strikeouts per game against the perennial National League contender. In two meetings last year, Darvish went at least 6.2 innings in each outing and stuck out 10 Dodgers combined.
Over his first eight starts to begin the 2023 season, Darvish punched out five or more batters in seven. We expect the 37-year-old to start this campaign strong against a loaded lineup.
Tyler Glasnow OVER 6.0 Strikeouts
The early part of the season is typically where the pitchers still have a slight advantage over the hitters in terms of being prepared for live reps. Glasnow has averaged 7.67 strikeouts and a staggering 14.44 K/9 in his first start over the last three seasons. We expect that trend to be on display in Seoul yet again.
The Padres lineup lost Juan Soto this offseason, the player whose led the big leagues in walks for the last three years. Glasnow should have an easier time navigating a San Diego batting order that benefited from running starters from the game earlier with Soto around.
Freddie Freeman OVER 1.5 Total Bases
After posting a career-best 361 total bases and an MLB-leading 59 doubles in 2023, Freeman must be chomping at the bit to step up to the plate tomorrow. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star showed no signs of slowing down in spring training, maintaining an OPS above .945 while bashing a triple and three homers in 37 plate appearances.
When facing Yu Darvish, Freeman has a .998 OPS, two doubles, and three big flies in 34 plate appearances. We’re comfortable taking the future Hall of Famer to rack up more than one total base in his 2024 debut.
