Carlos Font, Staff Writer
The 2014 Major League Baseball season is set to start on March 22, when the Los Angeles Dodgers face the Arizona Diamondbacks in a two-game series Down Under.
As it has done in previous years, Major League Baseball likes to move one of their opening series out of the country. In the past, we have seen the MLB open their campaign in Japan. Overall, the league has put together six international opening days. Teams like the Boston Red Sox, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies, San Diego Padres, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays have been able to participate in these international openings.
Major League Baseball decided to change things a bit for this year’s international opening series by moving the venue to Sidney, Australia. The Dodgers and Diamondbacks will face off in the historic Sydney Cricket Grounds, which will be fully renovated to a baseball configuration based on the MLB’s standards. While both teams are from foreign parts, the Dodgers will be considered the home team.
The Dodgers and Diamondbacks are both a part of the National League West Davison. Both teams profile as two of the most young and exciting teams in Major League Baseball. Last year, not only did they fight for the National Leagues West Division Title but they faced conflict and controversy due to trash talk and incidents of batters getting hit by pitches. This young rivalry is one of the most exciting in baseball, and it profiles to be a great for years to come.
Plus, the series is significant because it marks the first time that Australia will see Major League caliber baseball since the 2000 Sydney Olympics.