Major League Baseball has made no formal announcement regarding the status of the London Series, but an England-based newspaper reported Thursday that the two-game series between the Cubs and Cardinals has been canceled.
The Sun reported that organizers canceled the series, scheduled for June 13-14 at London Stadium, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The report said the teams and event organizers were exploring the possibility of playing the series later in the season.
The London Marathon, scheduled for April 26, was moved to Oct. 4. The Wimbledon Championship remains on schedule for June 29-July 12. But its museum and tours have been shut down indefinitely because of the coronavirus.
Last week, MLB waited until March 19 to cancel the Mexico Series between the Diamondbacks and Padres scheduled for April 18-19 and the Puerto Rico Series between the Mets and Marlins after it became apparent the regular season wouldn’t start on April 9.
A source said Wednesday night that the Cubs and Cardinals were bracing for the possibility of the series being postponed.
The Cubs had been looking forward to the series since March 2019, when they learned they were under strong consideration to travel to England for the two-game matchup.
The Cubs and Cardinals were scheduled to play in the second London Series, following the 2019 Yankees-Red Sox series that drew nearly 120,000 fans at London Stadium. The Yankees and Red Sox were the first two major-league teams to play a regular-season series in Europe.
As recently as the second week of March, British reporters visited Arizona to interview Cubs manager David Ross and players about their anticipated visit.
Ross said he planned to take his children on the trip, which was expected to include two days of sightseeing tours.
The Cubs opened the 2000 season against the Mets at the Tokyo Dome in Japan and played three games against the Expos in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in September 2003.
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