Major League Baseball continues its effort to go international with the London Series 2023.
The league officially announced the broadcast details of the two-game set between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals on June 24-25, with games airing exclusively on Fox Sports and ESPN.
The first game of the series, which is part of the MLB World Tour, will air on Fox, while Sunday’s matchup will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Cardinals-Cubs series in London was originally set for the 2020 season but was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MLB’s international tour has had the sport traveling to Japan, Mexico, and Puerto Rico. Additionally, it’s included an MLB exhibition game in Cuba and special events including “MLB at Field of Dreams.”
“The 2023 London Series is part of the MLB World Tour, a historic slate of games that will bring MLB teams and players to the league’s global fan base,” MLB said in a press release. “The MLB World Tour represents MLB and the MLBPA’s largest ever international play plan with regular season and exhibition games to be played in Asia, Europe, Mexico, and Latin America through the 2026 season.”
ESPN previously aired Home Run Derby X, a similar global baseball tour that made stops in London, Seoul, South Korea, and Mexico City. It featured former MLB stars such as Nick Swisher, Adrian Gonzalez, and Jonny Gomes.
Fox Sports is no stranger to big MLB games as the home of World Series coverage, but it continues to try to introduce the game to a bigger audience.
The London Series, which is the first set of baseball games in Europe since the inaugural London Series in 2019, will have its first pitch on Saturday, June 24, at 1:10 p.m. ET/6:10 p.m. GMT while Sunday’s start time on ESPN will be 10:10 a.m. ET/3:10 p.m. GMT.
[MLB]
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.