MLB may travel to Europe, after all

MLB may travel to Europe, after all
25/07/2017

LONDON, United Kingdom-MLB Battlegroung was a success. Does it mark the first step to MLB regular season games in Europe? “Start to make a connection to audiences that are not accostumed to the sport” says Charlie Hill, head of MLB office in the british Capital

Major League Baseball (MLB) is willing to take their show to Europe. Commissioner Rob Manfred told to reporters in May: “We do think it’s time, wether it’s 2019 or shortly thereafter”.

London looks like the preferred choice. On July 4 MLB hosted a Home Run Derby during MLB Battlegrounds, an event included in the British Summer Time Festival, Hyde Park. Former MLB stars like Carlos Pena and Cliff Floyd participated, but the Home Run King turned out to be Federico Celli, a slugger in the Italian Baseball League for Rimini and a former Minor League in the Los Angeles Dodgers Farm System.
Celli commented via Facebook: “It was fun and a great honor”.

According to many, the fact the event was well received (more than 20,000 fans attended) marks the first step towards MLB regular season games in London in 2019. Still, the Head of MLB London Office Charlie Hill slows things down. He was quoted as follows by Baseball America: “I think fundamentally what we’ve got to be doing as an organization is to ask ourselves some quite challenging questions about how do we put together experiences that are rooted in baseball as we know and love it, but start to make a connection to audiences that are not accustomed to the sport,” Hill said. “We understand that the community want(s) games, and we’re working on that, but we gotta do things in between to help build towards that, so that’s what this is all about”.

On the contrary, Cliff Floyd (cover picture) has no doubt: “I think MLB knocked it out of the park with how they went about making (MLB Battlegrounds) such a production and such a big event”.