BrightView Sports Turf Prepares Field for Historic MLB Seoul Series

With Major League Baseball set to open its 2024 regular season in South Korea on March 20, BrightView has been working with the Gocheok Sky Dome staff to renovate and prepare the field operations for this historic MLB Seoul Series.

As the Official Field Consultant for MLB, BrightView is overseeing the field preparation at Gocheok Sky Dome, making sure it meets MLB standards for playability and safety. BrightView has a long history of working on special MLB events, including the MLB at Field of Dreams games, all the Little League Classic games, the Fort Bragg game, the London Series, the Mexico Series, and more.

“We’re proud to play a role in this historic game and have been working closely with MLB operations to ensure all aspects of the playing surface meet the highest standards of MLB and its players,” said Murray Cook, President of BrightView Sports Turf. “For this project, we assisted with the design and planning for the work to be done at the Sky Dome. This included sending over members from our sports turf crew to train and work with the local Sky Dome field crews on grading work, build mounds and home plate and install all the infield clay areas. Today we begin the final preparations of the field before the games.”

The two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres marks the first time an MLB regular season game will be played in South Korea. It is the ninth time a season will begin outside of the United States and Canada.

The field has had much wear and tear, and the BrightView team knew it would need to be replaced soon after working the 2017 WBC tournament. Since July 2023 BrightView has been working closely with MLB and Sky Dome officials on the specifications and material selections. On Jan. 1, BrightView began providing oversight and assistance for the field rebuild. The work included infield grading, rebuilding the bullpens and mound, new regulation bases, and new synthetic turf.

Even before the regular season series takes place, the Dodgers and Padres will each play two exhibition game against two teams from the KBO League and the South Korean national team. BrightView will be managing all pregame operations for the events.

The MLB Seoul Series is part of the 2024 MLB World Tour, which also features games in Mexico City, London, and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, along with special games at MLB at Rickwood Field in Birmingham and the MLB Little League Classic in Williamsport, all of which BrightView will play a key role in the field renovations, construction, and game operations. The games, and the World Tour itself, are part of MLB’s ongoing efforts to grow the game globally and reach new audiences.