Yankees and Red Sox to Play on Turf Field for 1st Time in Historic Rivalry

When the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees face each other in London on June 29 and 30, it will take place on artificial turf.

According to the Associated Press (via ESPN), this will be the first time these teams will face each other on anything other than natural grass. Considering they have played 2,196 times so far in their rivalry, this is a significant development.

"It's the first Yankees-Red Sox game out of the country, so why not a lot of firsts?" New York pitcher CC Sabathia said. "I think it will be fine."

Considering these squads play multiple road series each season against both the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays, there shouldn't be too much of an adjustment to playing on turf. However, it adds a new wrinkle in the storied history of these two organizations.

The original plan for Major League Baseball was to install grass at London Stadium, which was originally built for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The field is home to West Ham United of the Premier League and also has a rubber track around the perimeter.

Unfortunately, there is apparently not enough time to install real grass to create a baseball field.

Per the AP, MLB has access for 21 days before the series and just five days afterwards, which only leaves time for the installation of the artificial turf.