MLB will throw out first pitch of 2008 in Asia
January 3, 2008
The 2008 Major League Baseball season will start in Japan and China on March 25-26.
In an unprecedented move designed to further MLB's global reach, commissioner Bud Selig announced today that Boston and Oakland will play a two-game series in Tokyo to start the year, while on the same days Philadelphia and Los Angeles will play a pair of contests in Beijing.
“We are excited about this opportunity to further expose Major League Baseball to the Asian community, especially in China which only recently began its professional league,” said Selig, who helped spearhead the creation of the World Baseball Classic.
Beijing will host the Olympics this summer, so the baseball showcase will be a nice precursor to that international event. Both the Phillies and Dodgers are expected to arrive in China several days before their opening series, and exhibition games are planned for both clubs against some of China’s fledgling professional teams.
The China Baseball League (in Chinese 中国棒球联赛) currently has six teams that play a 60-game schedule, beginning in early May. The league has been around since the early 2000s
Early reaction from the four MLB clubs about the Asia trips is mixed. Some players have expressed concern about the extended travel hampering their preparations for the 2008 season. All four teams will trade spring training games for exhibitions against teams in their respective host countries.