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MLB 2014 season to open in Australia?

Sydney Cricket Grounds

The 2014 Major League Baseball season could begin at the Sydney Cricket Grounds in Australia, as officials there prepare a multimillion-dollar bid to land a commitment.

Opening a season out of the country is becoming a routine things for Major League Baseball; this season saw the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics start their seasons in Tokyo. 

A financial proposal to have two MLB teams open their seasons in Australia has been presented to Major League Baseball, and an Australian rep will be at the All-Star Game to further promote the bid. Baseball isn’t a major sport in Australia, but it’s growing, and in recent years Australia has sent several players to MLB organizations (Grant Balfour, Graeme Lloyd, Damian Moss, Liam Hendriks, Travis Blackley and Peter Moylan, to name a few). It’s seen as a tourism win for Australia; hitting the important Asia markets is a nice side benefit for MLB.

There’s a special reason for the 2014 date: 1914 was the last year Australia hosted a MLB team, when the Chicago White Sox and New York Giants played in Sydney. Hmm…we wonder what two teams will be playing in Sydney in 2014, should MLB go ahead with the plan.

Image courtesy of the Daily Telegraph.

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