Baseball Seasons to Open Across the World this Week

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Major League Baseball is not the only league in the World to have their season kick off next week when the Atlanta Braves visit the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies. Most baseball fans in North America will be tuned in to see the Phillies receive their rings in a nationally televised event, but that is not the only major event happening in the sport of baseball over the next few weeks.

According to the President of the International Baseball Federation, Dr. Harvey Schiller, “Last week we were at the Sport Accord meetings in Denver and Ted Turner told the crowd, ‘The Olympics without baseball is like summer without spring,’ so it is great to see spring and baseball starting together in many parts of the world this week.”

Schiller further stated, “The various opening days around the world in the next few weeks will once again show the world that baseball is a global game, and we are very excited about where the game is going, from the grassroots to the professional leagues, as we head into another exciting seven months of the great game.”

Featured below are a list of the opening days for all of the leagues across the world along with the league’s websites in order for fans to be able to get more information.

3 April, Japanese Central League, Pacific League Opening Day
Locations: six home sites, Japan
Sponsor/Organization: Japanese Central League, Japanese Pacific League
Information:  www.japanball.com/schedules.htm

4 April, German Bundesliga Baseball Opening Day
Location: Saarlouis, Germany
Sponsor/Organization: Deutscher Baseball und Softball Verband
Information:  www.baseball-softball.de

4 April, Korean Professional League Opening Day
Location: Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Gwangju etc., Korea
Sponsor/Organizer: Korea Baseball Organization
Information: www.koreabaseball.com

5 April, Championnat de France N1 Opening Day
Location: France
Sponsor/Organizer: Fédération Française de Baseball et de Softball
Information:  www.ffbsc.org

5 April, Major League Baseball Opening Night, Atlanta at Philadelphia, 8 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Sponsor/Organizer: MLB
Information: www.mlb.com

5 April, Swedish Baseball Nationalliga Opening Day
Location: Sweden
Sponsor/Organizer: Swedish Baseball and Softball Federation
Information:  www.baseboll-softboll.se

10 April, Italian Series Opening Day, T & A San Marino vs.  Palfinger Reggio Emilia
Location: San Marino, Italy
Sponsor/Organizer: FIBS Italia
Information:  www.fibs.it

11 April, Netherlands Honkbal Opening Day
Location: Netherlands
Sponsor/Organizer: Koninklijke Nederlandse Baseball en Softball Bond
Information: www.knbsb.nl

12 April, Moldova National Baseball Opening Day
Location: Cojusna, Moldova
Sponsor/Organizer: Baseball Moldova
Information:  http://baseballmoldova.com/

25 April, Swedish Elitserien, Opening Day
Location: Karlskoga, Sweden
Sponsor/Organizer: Svenska Baseboll Och Softball Forbundet
Information:  www.baseboll-softboll.se

2 May, Finnish SM-Liiga Opening Day
Location:  Espoo, Finland
Sponsor/Organizer: Finnish Baseball and Softball Federation
Information:  www.baseballfinland.com

While it is true that none of these will probably receive as much hype as the opening day in America, it does show the wide range of places that baseball is taking place in the world today.

Bill Jordan is a contributor to BaseballReflections.com. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].