The San Diego Padres arrived in South Korea on Friday to open the 2024 Major League Baseball(MLB) season in the country for the first time in MLB history.

The Padres landed at Incheon International Airport at around 1:30 a.m. Friday and were greeted by fans and reporters. 

Star players such as Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. signed autographs for fans despite having taken a 13-hour flight and infielder Kim Ha-seong, the first Korean to win a Gold Glove award, said he will do his best to play well in the games. 

The Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers will play a two-game series next Wednesday and Thursday at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul to open the 2024 MLB regular season. 

It will mark the first time a regular-season MLB game will be played in South Korea and the ninth time the MLB opener is held outside the United States. 

The Dodgers are set to arrive in South Korea on Friday afternoon.