The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will play the first
Major League Baseball games in China at Beijing's Olympic stadium
in March, the MLB announced on Thursday.
The Dodgers and Padres will play exhibition games on March 15
and 16 at the 12,000-seat Wukesong field, the venue for the Olympic
baseball competition at the Aug. 8-24 Games.
"I'm very proud to be a part of the first major league games to
be played in China," Dodgers' manager Joe Torre told a news
conference in the Chinese capital.
"It's such an exciting time for baseball to be in Beijing and
for the young people of China to witness this."
The MLB has been working at the grassroots level to try to
develop the game in China but most Chinese have had limited
exposure to a sport dubbed "America's national pastime".
(Shanghai Daily January 25, 2008)