Major League Baseball to open of its sixth international office in India

Major League Baseball (MLB) on Tuesday announced the opening of its sixth international office here at the national capital for the promotion of baseball. The office will be tasked with growing the game in India through fan engagement and baseball development.

MLB First Pitch, a grassroots program that is already being used to promote baseball in Mexico and China, will be introduced in India for primary school children in 300 schools across New Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai. The program will create the first opportunity for students to learn and enjoy the sport through workshops, conducted by MLB International coaches.

"We are especially excited as we look to venture into a grassroots program in India," said Jim Small, MLB Senior Vice President, International. "The country has huge potential for us, and we want to make sure that India is an important part of the ever-growing brand that is MLB.

"As the name suggests, MLB First Pitch will provide participants with their first-ever opportunity to learn baseball from our certified coaches. It has been an ambition of MLB to establish our presence in India, and I am really pleased to engage with our potential fans through this initiative," he added. IPL franchise Delhi Capitals will support the MLB brand and introduce India to the sport.

Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who is the Assistant Coach of Delhi Capitals, said he was happy to be associated with MLB. "I am very happy to be associated with Major League Baseball on behalf of the Delhi Capitals. Cricket and baseball have quite a few things in common. Growing up playing cricket, we always knew there was a similar sport played in the United States, but never imagined it would come to India one day," said Kaif.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)