"Padgers are my favorite baseball team" - Chan Ho Park's split Padres-Dodgers jersey sparks witty fan react at Seoul Series opener

The first South Korean-born ballplayer to ever play in the big leagues, Chan Ho Park, deservedly threw the inaugural pitch before Game 1 of the Seoul Series.

The former Dodgers and Padres right-hand pitcher took the mound in a very distinctive uniform that had the names of both the contesting teams written on it, his jersey the term 'Padgers' with his iconic #61 jersey number mentioned on the creative uniform fit for the grand occasion.

Fans were quick to jump on the post uploaded on MLB's official X (formerly known as Twitter) account, which featured a snapshot of Chan Ho Park throwing the inaugural pitch, and didn't refrain from dishing out some witty replies in the comments section.

"The Padgers are my favorite baseball team of all time"

Chan Ho Park started his career in the MLB when he signed with the Dodgers as an international free agent in 1994. He made his professional debut with the Dodgers against the Atlanta Braves as a reliever on April 8, 1994, and later earned his first and only All-Star nod in 2001, which was his last year in his first stint with LA.

He played for the San Diego Padres in 2005 and '06 before playing another big league season with the Dodgers in 2009 and moving to the NPB in 2011. He hung up his cleats after the 2012 season with the Hanwha Eagles of the KBO.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was all praise for his former teammate, Chan Ho Park

Chan Ho Park amassed 124 wins in his MLB career and even played on the roster alongside Dodgers current manager Dave Roberts when they both played for the SD Padres in 2005–2006.

Dave was all excited to watch Park throw the ceremonial pitch as the Major Leagues celebrated Korean baseball history by offering the first inaugural pitch of the 2024 MLB season to the first Korean-born ballplayer in the big leagues.

"I think Chan Ho is going to really embrace it. Chan Ho is a very good friend of mine, former teammate. I think sort of like a culmination for him, I would assume. He was a pioneer as a Korean-born player to come to the United States and to be a star player.

"To now have his former teammates and team that he played with come to his homeland, I think it’s come full circle. So it’s only fitting he throws out the first pitch. I think for him to get to show off his country is exciting. Really exciting.” - Dave Roberts on Chan Ho Park