Charm offensive by MLB

Major League Baseball announced that regular season games will precede tournaments like the 2019 NCAA College World Series. This game will be a regular season game.

The Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals will face each other in the week the College World Series opens at TD Ameritrade Park in Omaha. The Tigers-Royals game would be held on Thursday, June 13 and would be the third game of a three-game series between the teams, with the first two games being played in Kansas City, a source told ESPN.

This year’s August 19, Historic Bowman Field in Williamsport, home of the Williamsport Crosscutters, will host a regular MLB game between the Phillies and the Mets. This game will be part of the Little League World Series festivities. This initiative was launched last year when the Pirates beat the Cardinals 6-3.

Personally, I think these initiatives are part of a charm offensive by MLB in an attempt to regain terrain lost to soccer and other sports. As more kids are turning away from baseball, something has to be done. It remains to be seen if this charm offensive is the solution but it could be the start of more children turning to baseball again.

A news conference with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, scheduled for Thursday at TD Ameritrade Park will shed more light on the issue.