Back in 2022, Major League Baseball announced plans to host regular season games in London in 2023, 2024, and 2026. We knew the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals would partake in this year's series (June 24 and 25), but now we know that next year's expedition to England will feature the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. MLB and the MLBPA made the joint announcement on Friday.
The 2024 London Series will mark the first time that the Phillies have played abroad and the the fourth time for the Mets.
"Alex and I are thrilled the Mets will play in the MLB 2024 London Series," Mets owner Steve Cohen said in a statement. "Interest in baseball is growing all over the world and to bring the Mets 'never-say-die' attitude to sports fans in London is a tremendous honor. Our Queens family is ready to show London a great time with exciting baseball and amazing experiences that create new fans and build the Mets community throughout the United Kingdom."
"Major League Baseball has done an excellent job of expanding its footprint internationally and we are honored to play a role in that effort as part of the 2024 London Series," said Phillies owner John Middleton said in that same statement. "This will be a wonderful opportunity to showcase our players' talents and highlight the excitement that comes with a Phillies-Mets matchup for our fans in the UK and for those who have never attended a baseball game."
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played the first MLB series in London back in 2019. The Yankees won both contests in slugfest fashion at London Stadium. The Yankees and Red Sox are reportedly among the teams to have shown interest in partaking in MLB's planned Paris series come 2025.
"That's cool. It sounds pretty exciting," Yankees ace Gerrit Cole told the Associated Press last June. "That's going to be a really special opportunity."
SI's Tom Verducci recently reported that the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies are scheduled to play in Mexico next season. The San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants played a two-game set at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on April 29 and 30. MLB's attempts to spread their brand internationally tentatively includes games played in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, Our Mike Axisa provided a look at the league's preliminary international schedule a few days back. Here's that information presented in a handy-dandy table form:
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Spring training | Puerto Rico/Dominican Republic | World Baseball Classic | |
Opening weekend | Asia | Tokyo | |
May | Mexico City | Mexico City | Mexico City |
June | London | Paris | London |
September | San Juan | San Juan |
ESPN previously reported that the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres were likely to open next season with a series in Seoul, South Korea. MLB has yet to confirm the news. Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim is, of course, from South Korea, and began his professional career as a member of Korea Baseball Organization.
