MLB London Series will return in 2023 after four years away
(Picture: Getty Images)Major League Baseball have announced the match-up of the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals for the 2023 London Series.
The rivals were due to face off in the 2020 series before its cancellation due to Covid and MLB has paired them up again for its return next summer, in a two-game set due to be played on June 24 and 25.
In 2019, over 59,000 fans turned out on both nights of a run-heavy showdown between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox.
“It was a great experience, we had so much fun, there were so many runs scored,” former Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, who was part of the 2019 series, told reporters.
“I only came back in 2019 because we were playing in London. I was on my way to being retired, they announced the series and I was like, 'Woah, maybe I'll come back for one more year' and it was one of the best experiences I've ever had playing baseball.”
Baseball bosses announced the series on Thursday as part of an MLB World Tour, featuring 24 regular-season games and 16 exhibition matches played in Asia, Mexico, Latin America and Europe through to 2026.
“The Cardinals are excited and honored to be a part of the London Series next year,” Cardinals chairman and CEO William DeWitt Jr. said. “The Cardinals-Cubs rivalry is one of the best in sports, and it will be exciting to bring it to Europe for a new audience to experience. I have no doubt that the passionate sports fans in London will love these games, and we look forward to creating some new Cardinals fans overseas.”
Cubs executive chairman Tom Ricketts added: “The MLB London Series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been in the works for years now, and we’re thrilled to finally be able to bring one of baseball’s biggest rivalries to fans abroad in 2023. We hope that this series not only excites and entertains, but brings more international sports fans to the game we all love.”
