The 2024 Major League Baseball season starts Wednesday, March 19, when Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers meet the San Diego Padres with the first regular season games in South Korea. The broadcast will be live streamed on Sling (half off first month), DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (free trial and $20 off first month).

But the two-game series starting on Wednesday also is a triumphant homecoming for Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim, coming off a dominant season and returning to the Gocheok Sky Dome.

Kim played for the Kiwoom Heroes for seven seasons before signing with San Diego in 2020. He played down questions about being overshadowed by Ohtani, the Dodgers’ newly signed Japanese star, and said his focus was helping his team get off to a positive start against division rivals.

Kim hit .260 with 17 homers, 60 RBIs and 38 steals while establishing himself last season as one of the best National League infielders on defense. He won his first Gold Glove as a utilityman, the first time an infielder from east Asia won the award.

Despite a roster built with years of heavy spending, the Padres finished 82-20 and third in the NL West behind the Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks, missing the playoffs.

Kim has looked sharp in practice games against South Korean professional players this week, hitting two home runs against the reigning KBO champions LG Twins on Monday off pitchers he had faced for years.

Ohtani, who went 0 for 5 in two exhibition games against Korean opponents in Seoul, didn’t show up on the field for an optional workout on Tuesday. Mookie Betts fielded batted balls from shortstop, where he is set to start this season after making his first 16 appearances there last year.

When is Dodgers-Padres?

Dodgers-Padres is set for Wednesday, March 19, at 5 a.m. (6 a.m. ET).

Will it be live streamed?

Sling

Sling Orange is $40 a month (half off the first month) and offers ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.

DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $69.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $84.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $114.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $159.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo pro” package, which comprises 146-plus channels for $74.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

There is also the “fubo elite” package, which comprises 205-plus channels for $84.99 per month. It comes with fuboExtra (48 more channels) and News Plus (11 more channels). Plus, more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

The “fubo premiere” package is “fubo elite” with the addition of Showtime for $94.99 per month.

Will it be televised?

Padres-Dodgers will be televised on the ESPN.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.