The Red Sox and Yankees rivalry is set to embark on an overseas trip to London in 2019 for a two-game series which marks the first professional baseball game played in Europe.
Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed on Tuesday morning that he, along with the MLBPA and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, reached an agreement on a two-year deal where London will host a two-game series between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees.
The @RedSox & @Yankees will play an historic two-game series in London in 2019, marking the sport’s first games ever played in Europe, in the MLB London Series, MLB, the MLBPA & the Mayor of London jointly announced today.
The series will be played June 29-30 at London Stadium. pic.twitter.com/fwPzkqLqMO— MLB Communications (@MLB_PR) May 8, 2018
In doing so, come June 29 of 2019, the continent of Europe will be exposed to major league baseball for the first time in what will be the 180th year since the sport’s creation.
“Major League Baseball is excited to be bringing one of the most storied rivalries in sports to the passionate fans of London,” Manfred said in a statement. “In our ongoing efforts to grow baseball, there is nothing as impactful as bringing live games and our talented players to fans.”
This seems like a wonderful idea conjured up by all parties. In what has recently been diagnosed as a “dying sport,” a great way to reinvigorate the baseball world and add a little more excitement to the game is to introduce it to an audience that hasn’t been exposed to America’s Pastime. With the Red Sox and Yankees heading to the Olympic Stadium in 2019 and 2020, the MLB is giving London a taste of baseball history in the process, which is truly a beautiful thing for the game.
The other non-domestic locations to host big league contests are Puerto Rico, Mexico, Japan, and Australia, making London just the fifth location outside of the U.S. and Canada to be presented with this event for the people of their country.
“I am absolutely delighted that we have secured this historic agreement for Major League Baseball to come to London in 2019 and 2020,” Mayor Khan said.
Baseball will stay on this side of the pond for the remainder of the 2018 season, but thanks to all parties involved, they’ll be embarking on a new journey to the approximate capacity of 55,000 seats at Olympic Stadium in London.
