Reports are surfacing today that the 2013 MLB Season will open with a series in Sydney, Australia between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Report, which has not been confirmed by MLB, or either of the clubs, originates in the Australian Daily Telegraph which reports:
US Major League Baseball is coming to Sydney, with the opening series of next season – between the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks – to be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground next March.
In a $13 million coup for the state government, the opening series of the MLB will be held at the SCG on Saturday March 22 and Sunday March 23 – the first time a competitive US baseball fixture will be held in Australia and only the sixth time one has been staged outside America.
A regular season game (or games in this case) played down under will be the first for any major North American Professional League. We have seen the NHL start various seasons in Europe. The NFL bring us games from Mexico, London, and Canada; and the NBA has gone on major barnstorming tours. Previously MLB had games played in Puerto Rico, however a game in this location is a first for baseball.
The Dodgers currently have an Australian relief pitcher on the roster, Peter Moylan. It is expected he’ll be featured prominently in the advertising for the game.
In an interesting twist, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks played an extremely emotional and controversial ball game last night. A game that featured four beanballs and a bench clearing brawl between the sides. Certainly not the type of image that Major League Baseball will want to portray in their attempts to expand the game globally.
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