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Japan's pride, Yu Darvish (San Diego) and fastball pitcher Tyler Glasnow (31, LA Dodgers). Who will be the first pitcher to smile at a regular Major League game in Korea?

San Diego and the Dodgers will face off in the 2024 Major League Baseball opening match at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul at 7:07 p.m. on the 20th.

The "Seoul Series" was held about a week before the opening ceremony in the U.S. mainland, drawing more attention. Before the main game, the KBO League LG Twins, Kiwoom Heroes, and the Korean national baseball team finished warming up with a "special match," and two consecutive games will be held on the 20th and 21st.

Darvish and Glasnow have been selected as starters for the opening game.'

Darvish is a veteran who conquered the Japanese professional baseball league and advanced to the Major League in 2012, and has already played in the Major League for 13 seasons. He is the next generation of Ichiro Suzuki and a popular star who represents Japanese baseball as the vanguard of Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers).

Last year, he slowed to 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA due to an elbow injury, but he has improved his condition ahead of this season.

Darvish is also considered a representative 'friendly' person. During his visit to Korea, he made headlines by visiting a cafe run by his biggest fan, a Korean couple.

"I'm a fan who's been supporting me since I played for Texas," he said. "I went there because I wanted to see my face since I was in Seoul."

Darvish said, "I'm happy to pitch in my favorite country," adding, "Our team has become a team through various training sessions since the spring camp, so we expect to win a lot."

As for the showdown with his national team teammate Ohtani, he said, "I want to put my personal feelings aside because I'm competing against him."

His opponent Glasnow is well-known as a fastball pitcher. He is 203 centimeters tall and has a powerful average driving distance of 97 miles (156 kilometers). However, he never played full time due to frequent injuries, but he recorded double-digit wins for the first time since his debut with 10-7 losses and a 3.53 ERA in the Tampa Bay Rays last year.

Glasnow also said that he was strongly impressed by his first visit to Korea.

"Gocheok Dome feels similar to Tropicana Field, so it's comfortable," he said. "The mound looked good."