Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers prior to the exhibition game between Los Angeles Dodgers and Kiwoom Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome on March 17, 2024 in Seoul, South Korea.
It's officially Sho-time!
Shohei Ohtani is set to make his regular-season debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers when they play the San Diego Padres on Opening Day in South Korea.
Those watching in California will have to set their alarm for the game, with first pitch set for 3:05 a.m. PT. on Wednesday.
Those looking to get last-minute tickets to the game in Seoul will have to take out a large withdrawal to see first pitch in person.
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In addition to Ohtani taking his first at-bats as a member of the Dodgers after signing a 10-year, $700-million deal this offseason, the game also features the homecoming of San Diego Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim. Kim, entering his fourth season with the Padres, played for the Kiwoom Heroes for seven seasons before signing with San Diego in 2020.
It's also Major League Baseball's first ever regular-season game in South Korea. And there are only about 16,000 seats in the Gocheok Sky Dome.
So, ticket prices have reached Super Bowl and Taylor Swift concert levels.
In Los Angeles, Ohtani has made the Dodgers even more of a box-office attraction than they were last season when they led the league with an average of over 47,000 fans per game.
Here's how much baseball fans will have to pay to see Ohtani on Opening Day, home and abroad.
How much are Dodgers-Padres tickets in South Korea?
Tickets to Wednesday's season-opener between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres reportedly sold out within the first hour, according to Bloomberg's Jenny Seung Min Lee and Hooyeon Kim.
Tickets were originally sold exclusively to local residents on Coupang Play, a streaming unit of U.S.-listed online retailer Coupang Inc., per Bloomberg. Coupang requires a monthly membership that’s limited to those with a Korean phone number.
Ticket prices started at around $90 and there was a two-ticket limit. Identification was to be required for ticketholders entering the stadium, Bloomberg reported.
Tickets to the game are not available on secondary markets in the United States like StubHub and SeatGeek.
Ticket scalpers looking to unload their second seat to the game are asking as much as $3,035, according to Bloomberg, which is five times face value for the ticket.
Ohtani merchandise in the area isn't cheap either.
How much are tickets to the Dodgers home opener?
Prices for a pair of tickets to Shohei Ohtani's Dodgers home debut on March 28 in Los Angeles start at $112 plus fees on StubHub.
Prices on TicketSmarter were similar as of Tuesday night, starting at $116 and averaging $300.
According to a representative from StubHub, the Dodgers are the top-selling MLB team on the site so far this season, with the home opener being the best-selling game. Eight percent of tickets sold for the home opener on StubHub are buyers from Japan -- who accounted for 22 percent of all tickets sold to Dodgers games on the site this season.
Six of StubHub's 10 best-selling baseball games of the season, outside of home openers, involve the Dodgers -- with the Dodgers at the New York Yankees on June 8 being most in-demand.
