Major League Baseball to Host 2014 Season Opener in Australia

International season openers aren't something new for Major League Baseball.  In fact, the league held four season openers at Tokyo in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. The 1999 opener was held at Monterrey, Mexico, and the 2001 season began in the beautiful San Juan, Puerto Rico. But in 2014, the MLB will literally go across the globe when the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona.

Diamondbacks meet in Sydney, Australia for a two game series that will officially open the 2014 MLB Season. The matchup is schedule to take place on March 22-23 and will mark MLB’s return to Australian territory and the first opener held in the southern continent.

The historic match will be held at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) and will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Chicago White Sox playing the New York Giants at the same cricket venue. On Jan. 2, 1914, the White Sox beat the Giants 5-4 in front of 10,000 fans.

Dodgers and Diamondbacks will arrive in Sydney on March 18. The first game of the 2014 season will be played on the evening of March 22^nd followed by a second game on March 23^rd.  The venue will be set to accommodate a baseball game and will be renovated to meet Major League standards. Arizona will be considered the home team for both games.

Despite being thousands of miles apart from each other, the MLB has strong ties with Australia. The first exhibition baseball game in the country was held at the same site in December 1888 as part of the Spalding's World Tourists. Back then, the Chicago White Stockings, led by Albert Goodwill Spalding, embarked in a 54-game world tour played from Hawaii to New Zealand, Australia, Ceylon and Egypt.

In addition, there have been 31 Australian players in the Major Leagues, including infielder Joe Quinn, whose career dates back to 1884. Other Australian natives in the MLB include Arizona’s general manager assistant Craig Shipley, who pioneered the most recent wave of Australian players in the big leagues. Former Brewers catcher David Nilsson, Dodgers reliever Peter Moylan, A's closer Grant Balfour and Astros reliever Travis Blackley are also from down under. 

"Major League Baseball is thrilled that the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open our 2014 regular season in Sydney, Australia. The globalization of our game continues to be paramount to Major League Baseball, and Australia is an essential part of our long-term efforts to grow the sport. We look forward to writing an exciting new chapter in international baseball history at the historic Sydney Cricket Ground next March" expressed MLB Commissioner Bud Selig.