LONDON CALLING
Yanks, Sawx eyed for 1st MLB games in UK … but not till 2018
The Yankees and Red Sox could be taking their rivalry overseas.
Major League Baseball is considering playing some games in London as soon as 2018 and the Yankees and Boston could be the first to take the field, according to sources.
Yankees president Randy Levine is on a committee, which also includes team owners, investigating growing the sport internationally.
“The Yankees have been at the forefront of suggesting that we bring the great game of baseball to London,” Levine said in a statement. “There have been some meaningful attempts to do so, and we are hopeful and confident that we can play there soon. Playing the Red Sox in London would be a special and unique event.”
MLB already has played games in Asia and Latin America and if it does choose to go to London, the games would be played at Olympic Stadium be- cause Wembley Stadium doesn’t have the correct dimensions for baseball.
Since the World Baseball Classic is scheduled for this spring, they would have to wait until 2018 at the earliest.
Any teams that do play in London would be scheduled to play two games, with each team hosting one game. Teams also would be reimbursed for making the trip.
The Yankees and Red Sox are logical choices, not just because of their popularity outside the United States, but also because both organizations have ties to English Premier League soccer teams. Boston owner John Henry owns Liverpool and the Yankees are co-owners of the NYCFC MLS team with Manchester City.
As part of the new collective bargaining agreement, teams will play games in Mexico, Asia, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, as well as London over the next five years in an attempt to grow the game.
MLB currently is in the exploration part of its plan and nothing has been scheduled.