New York. Major League Baseball canceled plans to hold regular season games next year in Mexico City and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The season opens on March 18 and 19 with a two-game series in Tokyo between the Los Angeles Dodgers — with star Shohei Otahni — and the Chicago Cubs.
The collective contract signed in 2022 with the players’ union also provided for games in the Mexican capital in May, the first duels in Paris in June and meetings in San Juan in September.
Major League Baseball canceled games in France in 2023 after failing to find a promoter. 49 regular season games were played at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan from 2001 to 2018.
Games scheduled in San Juan and Mexico City in 2020 were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are not going to San Juan. We did not have, despite many efforts, an arrangement that made economic sense for us,” Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday at a news conference after a owners meeting.
“We would like to hold meetings in San Juan and what is available changes from year to year and I hope everything works out in the future,” he added.
The majors held matches at the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City in 2023 and 2024.
“I am sure that we will return during the term of this agreement,” said Manfred, referring to the employment contract that extends until the 2026 season.
“We had a really aggressive stance of international games last season. Obviously, we are opening in Tokyo, which is really our focus now for very good business reasons.”
Major League Baseball’s labor contract calls for games in 2026 in Mexico City in May, London in June and San Juan in September.
#Major #Leagues #announce #games #Mexico
–
