On Thursday, August 4, 2022, Major League Baseball announced that the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play in London in June of the 2023 MLB season. Major League Baseball intends to return to London next year during the 2023 MLB season for the first time since the 2019 MLB season.
Major League Baseball issued a statement on Thursday, August 4, 2022 that the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will play a two-game series on June 24, 2023 and June 25, 2023 at the historic and legendary London Stadium. The NL central division rivals were originally scheduled to play in London in 2020, but those games had to be canceled due to the fact that the world was dealing with bigger issues like the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
“The Cardinals are excited and honored to be a part of the London Series next year,” he said. the president of the St. Louis. St. Louis Cardinals, Bill DeWitt Jr. “The rivalry between the Cardinals and Cubs is one of the best in sports, and it will be exciting to bring it to Europe for a new audience to experience.”
The last time Major League Baseball actually played a baseball game in London was during the summer of the 2019 MLB season, when the New York Yankees swept their two-game series against their American League East division rivals in the Boston Red Sox. Those games took place in June 2019 also at the London Stadium. Those were also the first Major League Baseball regular season games to be played overseas in Europe.
Both the Chicago Cubs like the St. Louis Cardinals have played international games in the past, as the Chicago The Cubs opened their 2000 MLB season by playing ball games in Tokyo, Japan against the New York Mets, and also played a three-game series against the Montreal Expos in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the 2003 Major League Baseball season. . The St. Louis Cardinals they also played a two-game series against the Cincinnati Reds in Mexico in 2019.
“The MLB London Series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been in the works for years and we are thrilled to finally be able to bring one of baseball’s greatest rivalries to fans abroad in 2023.” Chicago Cubs president Tom Ricketts said.
London series 2023 is part of an international game landscape scheme that was approved during the labor agreement last March between Major League Baseball and MLB Players Association. This international roster also plans more games in London in both 2024 and 2026, the first MLB games to be played in France will take place in 2025, annual MLB games in Mexico City, Mexico are also due be scheduled accordingly from 2023 to 2026, an Asian opening in 2024 and an opening in Tokyo, Japan during the 2025 MLB season.
“These games will be a great opportunity to once again showcase London Stadium as a multi-use venue and an asset to the capital.”explained the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. “The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are two of the best supported clubs in baseball and I know they will receive a fantastic reception next summer here in the sports capital of the world.”
Fuentes:
The Associated Press News Services. “London Calling: Cubs – Cardinals set for London in June 2023”. The Associated Press. Thursday, August 4, 2022
