Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced a long-term partnership with the city of London. These partnership will include games next year, 2024 and in 2026. Major League Baseball has also made mention of other events being hosted in London.
Quickly, London is becoming an epicenter of American sports in Europe. Over the last few seasons, we have seen the National Football League make another foray into Europe. In 2022, MLB is attempting the same.
A fun tidbit from the MLB press release:
A prime example of this is Home Run Derby X, which will take place at London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 9, 2022. The competition will feature four historic franchises: the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs. Each team will include a former player (Legend), a softball or women’s baseball star (Superstar), a player from that region’s local development system (Rookie), and an influential content creator (Wild Card). This unique, points-based derby contest will also take place in Seoul on Sept. 17 and Mexico City on Oct. 15.
This is not baseball’s first attempt at taking on London. In 2019, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played an exciting series scoring a total of 50 runs. In order to make this two game series happen, London Stadium had to be turned into a Major League Baseball field. London Stadium also added Major League Baseball-approved locker rooms. Dimensions wise, London Stadium mirrored the Rogers Centre in Toronto.
Personally, we cannot wait for some more fire promotions in the lead up to international series:
