London Mayor Sadiq Khan meets MLB chiefs in hope to set up baseball game in the capital in 2018
Mr Khan threw out a pitch at a New York Mets game as part of his tour of North America
LONDON mayor Sadiq Khan is "quietly confident" that the capital will host a baseball game in 2018.
The Mayor held a meeting with Major League Baseball (MLB) chief Rob Manfred and threw out a pitch for a New York Mets game as part of his five-day trip to North America.
Mr Khan was invited to the ceremonial event as the Mets played the Minnesota Twins - it is usually an honour reserved for VIPs.
There had been plans for a MLB game to take place in London in 2017, but they were abandoned.
However, Mr Khan revealed he has been "really encouraged" by talks.
he told the : "I’m keen to make London the sporting capital of the world.
"I’ve been really encouraged by my discussions with the MLB.
"I’ve told them there are huge baseball fans in London, all around the UK and in Europe.
"The only way they can experience what we’ve experienced here today is by jumping on a plane to the USA.
"Wouldn’t it be great if they came to the greatest city in the world instead?"
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Mr Khan also met with Shad Khan, owner of NFL team the Jacksonville Jaguars, who will again play at Wembley Stadium in October.
He is set to share a stage with former President Bill Clinton to talk Brexit.