New York Yankees to face Boston Red Sox in two-match series at London Stadium in first UK MLB matches
Baseball is coming to the UK as the MLB looks to make major strides on the other side of the pond
THE New York Yankees will face the Boston Red Sox in the UK's first-ever Major League Baseball games next year.
The giants of the sport will play two matches at the London Stadium in 2019.
Boston will be the home team for the two regular-season games.
The first match will take place on June 29, with the sides going at it again the following day on June 30.
The London Stadium is currently used by West Ham and will be able to hold a bumper 55,000-strong crowd for the maiden event.
The MLB hopes it will be the first of many held in London in the future, saying it is “committed to playing in London in 2020 and our intention is to establish a long-term footprint in the city.”
MLB Commissioner Bob Manfred appeared alongside London Mayor Sadiq Khan and Red Sox owner John Henry, who also owns Liverpool, at today’s announcement in Regent Street.
Manfred said: “This is our first foray into Europe and it’s really important we make as big a splash as possible. We wanted to bring one of the best rivalries in baseball, maybe one of the best in all sport, to London.”
Henry said: “This rivalry arouses the same passions I see on Merseyside, in Manchester and in London.
“I’m proud to be part of the history of two iconic franchises and delighted MLB has given us the opportunity to bring our rivalry to London.”
Baseball becomes the latest American sport to break into the UK market in recent years.
The NFL have been playing matches at Wembley Stadium since 2007, hosting 18 in total and another three at Twickenham.
Tottenham’s new arena will also host NFL matches in the future.
While the NBA have been playing a one-off annual game at the O2 Arena, attracting the cream of the crop from UK sport in the process.
