As Major League Baseball attempts to expand its reach across the Atlantic, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals will play in the two-game MLB London Series. Set for June 24th and June 25th, baseball hopes to draw big crowds in both contests.
MLB London Series History
The MLB hoped to return to London in 2020 with the Cards and Cubs but unfortunately due to the COVID-19 outbreak, those plans were scrapped. Now, the MLB hopes to regain the momentum of their 2019 trip by making up for lost time. Both Chicago and St. Louis have struggled in 2023. The Cubs currently sit at third in the NL Central while the Cardinals sit in fifth.
Additional International MLB History
In addition to the United States, the MLB has been active in Canada dating back to 1969 with the inception of the Montreal Expos. Though the Expos relocated to Washington D.C. in 2004, the Toronto Blue Jays still carry the Canadian flag for the MLB.
The MLB has played contests in locales other than the United States, Canada, and London as well. In 1996, the New York Mets and San Diego Padres played in the first of these as they journeyed south of the border to Monterrey. The Tokyo Dome played host to a handful of contests between 2000 and 2012. The Sydney Cricket Grounds hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks for a two-game series in 2014. Earlier this season MLB returned to Mexico, this time with the Padres and the San Francisco Giants playing in Mexico City. If the MLB continues to see success overseas, expect the list of countries hosting international contests to grow.