When it comes to rivalries in Major League Baseball, it doesn’t get much more traditional than Yankees, Red Sox.
The two mortal enemies and divisional opponents have been entrenched in what could very well be described as warfare since 1903. Fast forward 116 years though and the rivalry is about to reach a new corner of the world.
As first reported by Bloomberg News, the Yankees and Red Sox are closing in on securing a two-game series during the 2019 regular season that will be played in London.
It would be the first MLB games played in Europe. The United States’ oldest professional league has sent teams to play regular-season games in Japan, Australia and Mexico.
This would be the Yankees’ first international regular-season game since 2004 when they opened up the season against the Tampa Bay Rays in Tokyo. The Red Sox’s last time abroad was also in Japan’s capital four years later against the Oakland Athletics.
The games are expected to be played at London Stadium, which opened for the 2012 Summer Olympics and has since been converted to the home of the Premier League’s West Ham United. The venue holds 66,000 spectators for Premier League matches.
Per Matt Majendie of the Evening Standard, the two-game series will take place on June 29-30. However, London Mayor Sidiq Khan isn’t revealing anything yet.
“The Mayor remains determined to bring Major League Baseball to London and talks are ongoing with organisers,” a spokesperson said Tuesday, via Majendie.
Khan has been involved with America’s pastime for the better part of two years now and has made his intentions known of bringing MLB games to London. He threw out the first pitch before a New York Mets game after meeting with league commissioner Rob Manfred in Sept. of 2016.
While baseball and England don’t necessarily go hand-in-hand, both the Yankees and Red Sox have connections to the country.
Sox owner John W. Henry owns Liverpool, one of England’s most famous and successful clubs while the Yankees are part owners of New York City FC, an MLS franchise that is the sister club of English giants Manchester City.
