MLB merch market stays hot ahead of Seoul Series

Fans are fighting to get their hands on limited edition swag before the first-ever season opener in Korea.

New Era Korea releases a line of limited edition merch ahead of the MLB's Seoul Series. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The market for MLB merch remains hot ahead of the Seoul Series as fans fight to get their hands on limited edition swag before the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres kick off the league's first-ever season opener in Korea.

The Korean arm of the MLB’s longtime exclusive cap supplier, New Era, released 26 Seoul Series-branded products on Thursday as a line of limited edition caps, T-shirts and hoodies.

As of press time, 12 of those items had sold out online. Customers cleared out nearly all the apparel, leaving only kids’ sizes to buy. Curiously, New Era's offerings made most customers pick a loyalty to one of the California teams, as only one snapback cap (among the sold out items online) bore both an LA and SD.

There are supposedly, however, options still available through Musinsa, both online and at the retailer’s storefront in Hongdae, western Seoul.

MLB Korea, the lifestyle and fashion brand operated by Korean licensee F&F, earlier released its own line of Seoul Series merch, including caps with team names written in Hangul.

The Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres have drummed up considerable hype ahead of their two-game face-off on March 20 and 21.

Tickets to the game at the 17,000-seat Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul reportedly sold out within the first hour.

Seoul now awaits the arrival of the man worth $700 million, Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, and the return of Gold Glove winner Kim Ha-seong and recently-departed LG Twin Go Woo-suk in Padres’ yellow and brown.

The Dodgers-Padres series will follow exhibition games with the Korean national team as well as with the KBO’s LG Twins and Kiwoom Heroes, kicking off the season on March 20 at 7:05 p.m.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]