Major League Baseball (MLB) will be taking the 'Show' to Europe with the aim to further engage fans across the Atlantic and provide a boost to the growing global sport's international footprint.
MLB and the city of London have announced a long-term strategic partnership that includes MLB's commitment to hold major events in London over the next five years, including regular season games in 2023, 2024 and 2026.
"Today is a historic day for London and baseball," London Mayor Sadiq Kahn stated. "This long-term partnership...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."
The deal includes forming the MLB London Legacy Group, which will consist of members from the Greater London Authority, Baseball Softball UK and other key stakeholders in the UK. The Group will be focused on delivering a wide-reaching and long-term legacy program that maximises the impact of hosting MLB regular season games in London.
London hosted Major League Baseball games for the first time in June of 2019 when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox met in the inaugural MLB London Series. The two games at London Stadium were MLB's first-ever regular season games played in Europe.
"All aspects of the inaugural MLB games in London were an overwhelming success," said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. "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."
To complement the games, MLB Europe will continue to conduct new London-based fan engagement events, expanded UK-focused content, baseball participation programs, and other city-specific media arrangements to help continue the growth of baseball’s popularity across London.
A prime example of this is Home Run Derby X, an electrifying new baseball format which will take place in London’s Crystal Palace Park on July 9, 2022.
