Yes, these organisations are billion dollar enterprises. The Los Angeles Dodgers, who make up half of this Sydney extravaganza alongside the Arizona Diamondbacks, are valued at US$2 billion, the sixth-most valuable sports franchise in the world according to Forbes - but baseball has an everyman appeal.
So I'm sitting back in my seat, sorry, bleachers, looking at a transformed SCG: the diamond cut into the hallowed turf, the outfield walls, the dug-outs and the over-size foul territory.
I'm nursing a metre-long American hotdog that punched a $44 hole in someone else's wallet and tastes, frankly, vile. I'm drinking Miller, which is to the brewing industry what Chesdale cheese singles are to dairy.
But I can't get the smile off my face. I'm only a few hours by plane from home watching a sport that has inspired some of the greatest sports literature of all time - The Boys of Summer, Moneyball, Red Smith on Baseball - and some decent movies, like The Natural, Field of Dreams and the excellent Bull Durham.
Dylan Cleaver tries a $40AU hot dog at the MLB Baseball game in Sydney. Photo / Dylan Cleaver
It has me reflecting on two words that a self-respecting sports writer rarely puts together: sports tourism.
This is the era of the Bucket List and, inevitably, big sports events take a leading role. No longer is the fan from Unsworth Heights happy to watch his heroes on the telly. Instead he will feel cheated unless he sees Manchester United play at Old Trafford, just once.
Sports marketers have become acutely aware of this.
To paraphrase Shoeless Joe Jackson in FoD, "they will come".
So Australian promoter Jason Moore stumped up about $16.6 million to "buy" two Diamondbacks' home games and reconfigure the SCG.
And they came. Although the two exhibition games between Australia and, respectively, the Dodgers and Diamondbacks, played to sparse crowds, the two season-opening MLB games attracted more than 70,000.
The family beside me had flown from Victoria, excited to see Clayton Kershaw, possibly the game's best pitcher, left-handed slugger Adrian Gonzalez and Cuban Yasiel Puig.
It was a valuable exercise in context. The appetite for exhibition games is limited - just ask the old Auckland Regional Council about the exaggerated pulling power of David Beckham - but offer the real thing and watch people climb aboard.
It was also a signal that Sydney's in the market for the sports dollar. For years they have ceded that mantle to Melbourne.
Victoria, under far-sighted state leadership, saw sport as a way of attracting visitors. They ramped up marketing - the Melbourne Cup, the Boxing Day test, Australian Open and AFL Grand Final - and stole from Adelaide the biggie they didn't have: the Australian Grand Prix.
Sydney had its harbour and half of State of Origin, Melbourne had everything else. Less so now.
Sydney is pouring millions into what was once a moribund thoroughbred racing scene, is making more of a virtue of what it has and is promising major league baseball will be back.
Thousands will be back with it, though you can hold the hotdog.
Sydney sporting weekends
1. NRL Grand Final
They love league in Sydney, so although it would be nice to see the Warriors in action, you're in for just as big a treat if two of Sydney's traditional clubs - Souths, Easts (now called the Sydney Roosters), St George, Parramatta, Manly, Wests, Cronulla, Canterbury, Penrith - make it to the Big Dance.
2. Sydney to Hobart
One of the great ocean racing sights is the start of the Sydney-Hobart, as the huge fleet makes it way past the spectator boats in a race to be the first yacht past the heads.
Why not stay on for the traditional New Year's cricket test at the SCG?
Yes, Melbourne might have a little more cachet with the Boxing Day test at their CG, but here's a tip for you: Sydney's CG is a nicer ground and offers a nicer viewing experience. This summer they are hosting India, which is always a series laced with controversy. Things can get a little feral late in the day, so pick your seats carefully.
3. The Championships, Randwick
Melbourne will always have its Spring Carnival but, with The Championships at picturesque Randwick, Sydney now owns autumn racing. The two-day event features 10 championship races across two first-class Saturdays in April with more than $18 million in prize money on offer.
4. Bathurst 1000
Not strictly Sydney, but if you're flying in to get your annual dose of high-octane heaven, it will be where you land and pick up your V8, before heading to the Blue Mountains - Mt Panorama to be precise.
The second weekend in October is the Bathurst 1000, the apogee of the V8 Supercar season.
"The Great Race" is widely regarded as the pinnacle of Australian motorsport. Volvos and Mercedes are involved now, but make no mistake - this is an annual pissing contest between the badges of Ford and Holden. You're either one or t'other and never the twain shall meet.
CHECKLIST
Getting there: Air New Zealand flies daily to Sydney.
Further information: See destinationnsw.com.au.
The writer travelled as a guest of Destination NSW.
