Major League Baseball (MLB) has played multiple regular season games outside of the United States and Canada.[1] Beginning with the 2023 season, these games are branded as MLB World Tour.[2]
Exhibition contests, such as preseason games or postseason all-star games, are not included in the list below.
In May 2019, MLB announced that the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals would play a two-game series in London in June 2020, to be known as the 2020 MLB London Series. Additionally, in December 2019, the league announced that the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres would play a two-game series in Mexico City in April 2020. These would have been the first regular-season MLB games in Mexico City.[32] Both of these series were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33][34]
Estadio Hiram Bithorn in San Juan, Puerto Rico, has hosted 49 MLB games since 2001.[1] As Puerto Rico is a United States commonwealth, these games are not included in the above table.
The Montreal Expos played 43 "home" games at Estadio Hiram Bithorn during 2003 and 2004.[35]
Further information: 2003 Montreal Expos season and 2004 Montreal Expos season |
Excluding Expos games, below is a list of neutral-site games played in Puerto Rico:
Season | Date | Designated visitor | Score | Designated home team | Attendance | Stadium | City | Country | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | April 1 | Texas Rangers | 1–8 | Toronto Blue Jays | 19,891 | Estadio Hiram Bithorn | San Juan | Puerto Rico | [36] |
2010 | June 28 | New York Mets | 3–10 | Florida Marlins | 18,073 | [37] | |||
June 29 | New York Mets | 6–7 | Florida Marlins | 18,373 | [38] | ||||
June 30 | New York Mets | 6–5 | Florida Marlins | 19,232 | [39] | ||||
2018 | April 17 | Cleveland Indians | 6–1 | Minnesota Twins | 19,516 | [40] | |||
April 18 | Cleveland Indians | 1–2 | Minnesota Twins | 19,537 | [41] |
In August 2019, MLB announced a three-game series between the New York Mets and Miami Marlins at Estadio Hiram Bithorn to be played in April 2020.[42] This series was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[33]
As part of the collective bargaining agreement to end the 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout, MLB announced a plan to have additional games played internationally, including regular-season games in Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, London, and Paris between 2023 and 2026.[43] Beginning with the 2023 season, games outside the U.S. and Canada are branded as "MLB World Tour".[2]
The MLB Mexico City Series was first contested in 2023, at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú. The San Diego Padres won both games against the San Francisco Giants.[44]
MLB plans to host games at the Stade de France, just outside Paris, starting in 2025. The games will be the first MLB regular-season games to be contested in mainland Europe. The new Stade de France series is intended to alternate with the MLB London Series, which began in 2019 and resumed in 2023 following a three-season pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic. MLB will play games in London in 2024, followed by Paris in 2025, and then in London again in 2026.[45] The Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees have informed MLB that they would like to participate in the 2025 Paris games.[46][47]
In 2024, the Dodgers will open their season against the Padres in Seoul, making it the first time a regular season game has been played in Korea.[48]