Mariners will open next season in Tokyo against the A's

TOKYO - Seattle's sports teams are catching the study-abroad bug at the same time.

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that the Mariners will travel to Tokyo next March to play the Oakland Athletics.

The two-game series will be March 20-21 at the Tokyo Dome. The games will be counted as road games for the Mariners, meaning they'll still get a full 81-game schedule at Safeco Field.

The Seattle Seahawks are also doing some international travel next season. They're scheduled to face the Oakland Raiders on Oct. 14 in London.