Shotime in Seoul: Here's what happened the last time Shohei Ohtani came to town

The MLB Seoul Series could bring Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani back to Seoul for the first time since the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship. Here's what happened the last time Ohtani came to play in Korea.

A screen capture from a World Baseball Softball Confederation video shows Shohei Ohtani, then spelled Otani, competing for Japan at the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship at Mokdong Stadium in western Seoul in September, 2012. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to a record-setting 10-year, $700 million deal, bringing Shotime to Dodgers Stadium for the next decade.

That deal — unique not just because of its size but also because of the format, with Ohtani to receive $680 million of his salary after the contract is completed in 2034 — also means that Ohtani will likely head to Korea next Spring to take part in the MLB’s Seoul Series.

The 2024 MLB season begins in Seoul with a two-game series between the Dodgers and the San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul on March 20 and 21, the first MLB regular season games ever to be played in Korea.

That series will now also bring together some of northeast Asia’s biggest sports stars: Japanese two-way player Ohtani of the Dodgers and Korean utility man Kim Ha-seong and Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish of the Padres. There could even be a fourth home favorite in the mix, with the Padres also linked to Kiwoom Heroes outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, who posted to the MLB earlier this month.

The addition of Ohtani to the Dodgers lineup is likely to make tickets to the Seoul Series some of the hottest in the world next year. Demand was already likely to be extremely high from Korean baseball fans but could rise exponentially with Japan just a short flight away.

But the Seoul Series will not be the first time Ohtani has played in Seoul, or even at the home of the Heroes. Shotime himself was last here back in September 2012 for the 18U Baseball World Championship at Mokdong Stadium in western Seoul, home of the Heroes before Gocheok Sky Dome was built.

Ohtani — listed at the time as Otani — got the starting nod for Japan’s last game of that competition, the fifth-place playoff against hosts Korea.

That game did not go Japan’s way, with Korea taking a 3-0 shutout win. Ohtani, then 18, pitched seven innings, giving up just two hits and four walks while striking out 12 and reaching 155 kilometers per hour (96 miles per hour) on the radar gun, but still allowing two runs; the first on an RBI double from Song Jun-suk — still active with the Samsung Lions — and the second scored by Song on a balk call.

Korea’s final run came from Yoon Dae-young, now playing as Yoon Hyeong-jun with the NC Dinos, a solo home run in the ninth off reliever Takuya Sato.

Although Japan took the loss, Ohtani’s skill, and particularly his speed, was clearly on display on the mound at Mokdong. He was also in the batting lineup, picking up one hit and taking a walk in three appearances.

It was only a month later that Ohtani announced his intention to play in the big leagues. The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters ended up drafting him anyway, and he played in Japan until 2017, joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018.

While none of the other players on that Sept. 8, 2012, lineup have quite gone on to such impressive achievements, there are some notable names from both the KBO and Nippon Professional Baseball league.

Alongside Song and Yoon, Kang Seung-ho and Kim In-tae, both still active with the Doosan Bears, An Joong-yeol of the Dinos and Lee Woo-sung of the Kia Tigers were also on the field. On the Japanese side, Tatsuhiro Tamura of the Chiba Lotte Marines, Fumiya Hojo of the Hanshin Tigers and Tomoya Mori of the Orion Buffaloes were all in the squad.

The 2024 MLB Seoul Series will be televised on ESPN in the United States and on streaming service Coupang Play in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]