London set to host two Major League games

Sadiq Khan says next year’s historic baseball games at the London Stadium will help “balance the books” at the troubled venue.

The New York Yankees will face the Boston Red Sox next June as Major League Baseball brings regular-season games to Europe for the first time.

London Mayor Khan last year took control of the London Stadium after a review found the former Olympic Stadium, now the home ground of West Ham, is making huge losses.

He said: “It can’t be right that the taxpayer is currently subsidising the London Stadium. The taxpayer contributed hugely to the stadium being built and the Olympics being the huge success they were.

“We have a Premier League club playing there making huge profits and taxpayers are subsidising that, and that can’t be right.

“So it’s very important when it’s not the football season we try to generate revenues that will balance the books. We have concerts, athletics and next year we will have two baseball games in London.”

The London Stadium will host the games on 29 and 30 June in front of an estimated crowd of 55,000.

The Mayor launched the London Series alongside Red Sox owner John W Henry – who also owns Liverpool – and Yankees chief Hal Steinbrenner.