London Calling MLB (Again) Under New Five-Year Alliance, Paris Also En Route
Monday, May 9, 2022 at 08:26PM By Barry Janoff
May 9, 2022: MLB today said it has signed a five-year deal to play regular-season games and hold other events in London in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
According to Reuters Sports, MLB and the Los Angeles Dodgers are planning regular-season games in Paris in 2025, to take place in the Stade de France.
This is in addition to MLB’s recently unveiled Home Run Derby X, a global tour this year that includes a London stop in Crystal Palace Park, scheduled for July 9.
MLB first played regular-season games in London in 2019 with a two-game series featuring the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in Olympic Stadium. The series was played before a combined 120,000 fans, according to MLB.
The 2020 MLB London Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs was canceled due to COVID-19, potentially leaving them at the top of the list for upcoming games.
“All aspects of the inaugural MLB games in London were an overwhelming success,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said via the league, who unveiled the plans in unison with London mayor Sadiq Khan.
“It was clear that sports fans in London had a great appetite for baseball and that passion was shared by mayor Khan as well as the business and media community.”
According to Manfred, “We are confident in making a long-term commitment to London and are looking forward to returning to the city with more MLB games, special fan events, and other opportunities to play and watch the game.”
The NFL has made London a regular stop on its schedule dating back to 2007, with three games slated for the upcoming season.
MLB also said it was forming a MLB London Legacy Group, to include members from the Greater London Authority and Baseball Softball UK.
To complement the games, MLB said it would stage London-based “fan engagement events, expanded U.K.-focused content, baseball participation programs and other city-specific media arrangements to help continue the growth of baseball’s popularity across London.”
“Today is an historic day for London and baseball,” mayor Khan said via MLB.
“This long-term partnership with Major League Baseball is ambitious and includes regular-season games as well as a legacy program designed to grow the number of Londoners watching and playing baseball at a grassroots level in London.”
Home Run Derby X includes the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs.
Home Run Derby X will go on tour to London, Seoul and Mexico City between July and October, featuring former players, players from developmental leagues and players from women’s baseball and softball teams.
The roster for each team will include “influential content creators” as well as a festival to feature music, food and art.
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