Though it has not been formally announced, the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners are expected to open the 2019 season at the Tokyo Dome.
More details about the opener could emerge at a later time, but it is being reported that the A’s and Mariners will face off at the Tokyo Dome to begin the 2019 Major League Baseball season. The two clubs met in Japan back in 2012 and, prior to that, the A’s began the 2008 season there with a series against the Boston Red Sox.
MLB has not officially announced the Tokyo Dome opener, but it is reportedly in the works. More from SFGate:
The Japan opener has yet to be officially announced, but according to league and team sources, Oakland and Seattle will begin next season at the Tokyo Dome. The two clubs opened the 2012 season in Tokyo. The A’s also started their 2008 season in Japan against the Red Sox.
“If we’re in the running, I’d be 100 percent all for it,” said A’s manager Bob Melvin at Fitch Park on Wednesday. “Not only did we have a great time — it’s a life lesson as much as anything — but it significantly helped our team come together in 2012.”
Over the next few years, it is expected that MLB will make a more aggressive push worldwide. Games in London and Asia are expected to be in the works for the coming years, while the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers are already scheduled to play a Monterrey series in May of this year. The upcoming season will also see the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians play an April series at San Juan’s Hiram Bithorn Stadium, and the Toronto Blue Jays will once again host a late-March exhibition series at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
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