The 2019 Major League Baseball season will kick off in Japan.
The league announced Tuesday that the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics will play a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome from March 20-21. The A's will serve as the home team.
"The city of Tokyo offers a terrific backdrop for the Opening Series, and we look forward to once again bringing major-league games to the Japanese fans as we celebrate our shared love of baseball," the league said in a statement.
MLB has increased its effort to hold regular season games outside of the United States and Canada. The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres are set for a series in Mexico later this week, while the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians played in Puerto Rico last month. The Mariners and Athletics played a two-game series in Japan in 2012, as well.
In addition to the announcement, the league also said it will hold its All-Star Tour with Nippon Professional Baseball from Nov. 8-15 with six games.
