It will take more than a pandemic to stop Labatt Park from being the world's oldest continuously used ballpark.
The London Majors announced Tuesday that they will play an exhibition game against the Guelph Royals on Friday, August 21. The game will allow the stadium by the Thames River to continue to lay claim to a record of hosting 144 consecutive seasons of baseball.
"This is not just a regular baseball game but a game to ensure the historic longevity of Labatt Park remains intact," said Majors Co-owner, Manager, and General Manager Roop Chanderdat. "Our focus since the IBL season got cancelled owing to COVID was to ensure we did everything we could to maintain the active playing streak at Labatt Park."
The Intercounty Baseball League announced in early July that it was officially cancelling the 2020 season. Prior to that, Labatt Park had been closed for use due to the pandemic. The closure put at risk the stadium's record.
"Considering the current environment we are living in, this is a small win for our players and fans to participate in a special game - even if our fans will be supporting us through our YouTube stream," said Majors Co-owner and President Scott Dart. "We want to thank the City of London - Parks and Recreation and our IBL partners to help make this game a reality."
The game, which starts at 7:35 p.m. on Friday, will be broadcast on the Majors' YouTube channel. Unfortunately for baseball fans starved for the experience of sitting in the bleachers, the game won't be open to the public because of COVID-19 related restrictions.
