Padres' GM, Manager on Seoul Series: 'You Can Feel The Excitement'

San Diego is taking part in the first regular season games in South Korea in March.

For the second consecutive season, the San Diego Padres will participate in a regular-season series on international land.

Speaking with media — including Inside the Padres — in Glendale, Ariz. on Tuesday, general manager A.J. Preller and manager Mike Shildt spoke about a variety of topics. They were asked about their feelings toward the Seoul Series, which takes place on March 20 and 21.

“It’s exciting. We did Mexico City last year. Obviously different travel, but to me it was a playoff atmosphere. It was something that I think everybody who was on that trip will never forget. Our players like it a lot.”

— Padres general manager A.J. Preller

The Padres are set to battle their National League West rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a two-game series at the Gocheok Sky Dome. As the days count down, the excitement continues to build.

“Here, you can feel the excitement — you can feel it, the love of baseball in the Pacific Rim, Japan and Korea.

“The Dodgers, obviously seeing players like (Yoshinobu) Yamamoto and (Shohei) Ohtani. Ha-Seong Kim being back in Korea, it’s going to be really cool. I think our players understand that. I think our players understand that. I think they’re going to be happy for Kim and (Woo-Suk) Go and the players get an opportunity there. I think they’re excited about it.”

— Padres general manager A.J. Preller

Playing in Seoul creates an interesting schedule for the Padres. They will also play exhibition games on March 17 and 18 before playing the Dodgers. The team will then return home to play the Seattle Mariners for two more exhibition games at Petco Park. The official home opener is next, on March 28 against the San Francisco Giants.

Manager Mike Shildt says the team is up for the challenging schedule.

“I love to grow the game globally. It’s going to be an opportunity, a challenge. A lot of things going on. We’re there, we come back, we get to honor Peter (Seidler). That’ll be great. A unique schedule but we’re up to the task.”

Mike Shildt via Inside the Padres

Peter Seidler was the Padres' chairman and owner who passed away in November 2023. The team will hold a celebration of life in his honor March 23 at Petco Park.

San Diego opens its Cactus League schedule on Thursday against the Dodgers at the Peoria Sports Complex.