LONDON — Major League Baseball has scrapped plans to open its 2020 season in Asia and hopes to play more games in Europe.
MLB started its season in Tokyo for the fifth time in 2019, and its labour contract with the players’ union called for a 2020 opener in Asia.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said Saturday this “probably wasn’t the right time to try to do it” because of all of the international planning this year. In addition to Tokyo and London, MLB had two series at Monterrey, Mexico.
Manfred adds he would like to have “sustained” play in Europe but would not say which cities interest him.
The commissioner’ spoke before the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox began a two-game series at London’s Olympic Stadium, MLB’s first games in Europe.