LONDON — The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will face each other in two regular-season games at the Olympic Stadium in London next year.

“We are bringing you one of the best rivalries in baseball,” MLS Commissioner Rob Manfred said Tuesday.

Boston will be the home team for both of MLB’s first games in Europe on June 29 and 30, 2019. The stadium will have a capacity of 55,000 in a baseball configuration.

MLB said it also “committed to playing in London in 2020 and our intention is to establish a long-term footprint in the city” as American sports further embrace British fans.

The NFL has played regular-season games in London since 2007, holding 18 games at Wembley and three at Twickenham. Three more NFL games are scheduled for this year, including one at Tottenham’s new stadium.

The NBA and NHL have also held regular-season games in London.

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“The stadium infrastructure in this city gives Major League Baseball every opportunity to put on a first-class event,” Manfred said. “We hope this series will be the beginning of a relationship with London that persists and a continuation of increasing exposure for Major League Baseball in Europe.”

England is already a second home to John Henry, the owner of the Red Sox and Liverpool of the Premier League. Talks between Henry and Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner began more than two years ago about taking the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry across the Atlantic.

“All of us here today look forward to hearing the cry ‘Play Ball’ in London,” Henry said at the launch at a London cinema off Regent Street.

Boston will be the home team for both games.

TRADE: The New York Mets have traded former ace Matt Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds for catcher Devin Mesoraco in a swap of former All-Stars with careers sidetracked by injuries.

The deal was announced less than an hour before the first pitch of Tuesday’s game between the Mets and Reds.

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New York designated the 29-year-old Harvey for assignment last Saturday, giving it seven days to trade or release him. The Reds decided to take a chance on Harvey, who lost his spot in the Mets’ rotation after four starts and was hit hard in four relief appearances.

Mesoraco’s career has been sidelined by injuries the last three seasons. He’s batting .220 in 18 games with one homer and three RBI.

White Sox: Reliever Danny Farquhar seemed like his usual joking self when he visited the team for the first time since he collapsed in the dugout with a brain hemorrhage during a game in Chicago last month.

Farquhar, 31, spent about an hour at the ballpark on Tuesday before Chicago hosted Pittsburgh. Fellow pitcher Miguel Gonzalez says Farquhar was “pretty pumped” and reliever Nate Jones says the visit “was exciting for everybody.”

Farquhar’s brain hemorrhage was caused by a ruptured aneurysm on April 20 after he pitched against Houston. He was released from the hospital on Monday.

Farquhar, a married father of three children, has been ruled out for the rest of the season, but neurosurgeon Dr. Demetrius Lopes thinks he will be able to play again at some point.

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Blue Jays: All-Star closer Roberto Osuna of Toronto was charged with assault Tuesday and put on administrative leave by Major League Baseball, preventing him from playing for at least a week.

Toronto police declined to say whether it was domestic assault. Constable Jenifferjit Sidhu said the charge is for one count of assault but provided no further details.

Osuna, who is from Mexico, is scheduled to appear in court June 18. Administrative leave is not considered discipline. Osuna goes on the restricted list and continues to receive his $5.3 million salary, but is ineligible to play.

Commissioner Rob Manfred also has the option of suspending Osuna either without pay, or with pay pending the resolution of legal proceedings – a penalty that later could be converted to without pay. Osuna could challenge any discipline before Irvings.


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