Is Shohei Ohtani playing in the Seoul Series?

MLB's regular season starts international in Seoul, South Korea this week.

Members of the Shohei Ohtani fan club in South Korea, known as "Shotime Korea," are excited to welcome the international superstar to Seoul for the MLB Tour Seoul Series. Crowds of fans greeted Ohtani and the Dodgers when they arrived at Incheon International Airport.

According to Juan Toribio of MLB.com, Ohtani's teammate, Freddie Freeman, spoke with the media about what it's been like to witness the level of attention Ohtani receives.

“I think we’re kind of starting to get used to it a little bit,” Freeman said of the added attention surrounding the group this season. “But I don’t know if anybody can get used to things like this. This is exciting. It’s fun for us. It’s fun to play in front of many new fans this year.”

Is Shohei Ohtani playing in the Seoul Series?

Of course, Shohei Ohtani will play in the first MLB game in Seoul, South Korea. Ohtani and Los Angeles Dodgers take on the San Diego Padres in the MLB Tour Seoul Series.

Ohtani, a two-way superstar and two-time AL MVP, signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers during free agency.

Ohtani will not pitch in 2024 but will be the Dodgers designated hitter. In six seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani hit .274/.386/.556 with a +wRC of 146. He has 129 doubles, 29 triples, 171 home runs, and 437 RBIs.

This is Ohtani's second time in South Korea as a baseball player, as the first performance also prompted widespread Japanese media coverage. Ohtani was part of Japan's under-18 team that won the world championship in Seoul in 2012.

It will be fun to see Ohtani debut with the Dodgers on an international stage, where he seems to thrive.