Henry Roldán
MLB appears to be on pace to establish a presence in Europe, particularly in the United Kingdom, as evidenced by commissioner Rob Manfred‘s fantastic news for baseball fans on Monday.
On a visit to London, where he was accompanied by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, Manfred said that for the 2023, 2024 and 2026 seasons there will be MLB regular season games in the area.
“All aspects of the inaugural MLB games in London were an overwhelming success. It was clear that sports fans in London had a huge appetite for baseball, and that passion was shared by Mayor Khan, as well as the business and media community. We are confident in making a long-term commitment to London, and we look forward to returning to the city with more MLB games, special fan events and other opportunities to play and watch the game.”
Rob Manfred’s statement on MLB in London
Is this the first time MLB has left the United States?
It is worth remembering that this will not be the first time that the Major Leagues will see action in the European country. Back in 2019, a series between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees resulted in a total success after each of the two games at London Stadium were attended by nearly 60,000 fans.
Manfred did not say how many games will be played each season in his statement, but he did say that the agreement will last for the next five years and that additional MLB events, like the “Home Run Derby X,” will be held throughout that time. This event will also be held in Seoul and Mexico City this season.
For his part, Mayor Khan was extremely pleased with the partnership with MLB, taking into account that London is also the epicenter of NFL games in Europe and that this year three American football matches will be played in their city.
“Today is a historic day for London and baseball…. This long-term partnership with Major League Baseball is ambitious and includes regular season games, as well as a legacy program designed to increase the number of Londoners watching and playing baseball.”
Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, on agreement with MLB
According to Khan, new London fan engagement events, expanded UK-focused content, baseball engagement programs, and other city-specific media arrangements will continue to be introduced to help baseball’s popularity grow in that region of the UK.
