Major League Baseball still hopes to stage regular-season games in Europe for the first time in 2019.
Talks over hosting a match at the London Stadium were abandoned last year, while MLB commissioner Rob Manfred met London’s mayor Sadiq Khan in September to discuss the possibility. Regular season matches have already been staged in Japan, Australia and Mexico in the past but Manfred has admitted he is keen for baseball to follow the example of the NFL and NBA, which have both hosted several matches in London.
“It is something we would really like to do in 2019,” he said.“We do think it’s time, whether it’s 2019 or shortly thereafter that we play in Europe.”
MLB will host a Baseball Battlegrounds event in Hyde Park on 4 July featuring a “Home Run derby” between representatives of Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers, including retired baseball favourites Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd and Shawn Green.
“This represents an exciting statement of intent to grow Major League Baseball in Europe,” said Charlie Hill, managing director of MLB Europe. “Hyde Park is the perfect location to bring a flavour of our game to London with two of the most popular teams in the sport – the Red Sox and the Dodgers – set to provide a night of big hitting.”
