Thursday 4 August 2022 la Major League Baseball announced that the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals will face off in London in June in the 2023 MLB season. Major League Baseball plans to return to London next year during the 2023 MLB season for the first time since the 2019 MLB season.
Major League Baseball released a statement on Thursday, August 4, 2022 in which it stated that i St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will play a 2-game series on June 24, 2023 and June 25, 2023, in the historic and legendary London Stadium. Rivals from the National League Central division were originally supposed to face off in London way back in 2020, but those matches had to be canceled due to the fact that the world was grappling with bigger problems caused by the devastating coronavirus pandemic.
“The Cardinals are thrilled and honored to be part of the London Series next year”said St. Louis Cardinals president Bill DeWitt Jr .. “The rivalry between The Cardinals and Cubs is one of the biggest in the sport and it will be exciting to bring it to Europe to bring it to a new audience“.
The last time a match of the Major League Baseball was actually played in London during the summer of the 2019 MLB season, when i New York Yankees defeated their rivals in the American League East division in their 2-game streak Boston Red Sox. Those matches were played in June 2019 again at the London Stadium. Those were also the first regular season games of Major League Baseball that were played overseas in Europe.
Let i Chicago Cubs that the St. Louis Cardinals have played international games in the past since the Chicago Cubs opened their 2000 MLB season by playing games in Tokyo, Japan against the New York Mets, and also played a 3-game streak against the Montreal Expos in San Juan, Puerto Rico during the 2003 Major League season. Baseball. Also St. Louis Cardinals played a 2-game streak against the Cincinnati Reds in Mexico in 2019.
“The MLB London Series between Cubs and Cardinals is on the schedule for several years now and we’re thrilled to finally be able to bring one of baseball’s biggest rivalries to overseas fans in 2023 ″commented Chicago Cubs president Tom Ricketts.
The London Series 2023 is part of an international roadmap that was approved during last March’s labor agreement between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. This international list also plans to bring more matches to London in both 2024 and 2026, the first MLB matches to be played in France will be played in 2025, the annual MLB Mexico City and Mexico matches should be scheduled for consequence from 2023 to 2026 as well as, an Asian opening in 2024 and an opening in Tokyo, Japan, during the MLB 2025 season.
“These matches will be a great opportunity to show London Stadium once again as a multipurpose venue and asset to the capital“explained the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. “The St Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs are two of the clubs that have the biggest following in baseball and I know they will receive a fantastic welcome next summer here in the sports capital of the world.”
Sources:
The Associated Press news reports. “London will call: Cubs – Cardinals set in London in June 2023”. The Associated Press. Thursday 4th August 2022.
