Originally just a two-game arrangement in 2019, the London Series is becoming a new tradition in MLB. A semi-annual two-game series at London Stadium has opened the door to new fans across the pond. Despite only being four games, the history behind the London Series is rich. This year’s festivities kicked off on Friday with the Trafalgar Square Takeover. Lasting through Sunday, the square is open to the public with live music and baseball-related events. For those lucky enough to be in the London area, the event is family-friendly and free to the public.
The History Behind the London Series
In May 2018, MLB officially announced that there would be games in London in 2019 and 2020. In 2019 the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees would square off in the first two-game set of the London series. This marked the first regular season MLB game played in Europe. The plan was for the St. Louis Cardinals to face the National League Central rival Chicago Cubs in 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 series. With no games played in 2021 or 2022, the Cardinals and Cubs would get their opportunity to play in 2023. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have agreed to a series in 2026 as well.
The host venue is London Stadium, originally built for the 2012 Olympics. With most stadiums in the area designed for soccer and cricket, this was one of the only suitable locations. Many renovations are made to the stadium to accommodate a major league baseball game. For one, they build larger locker rooms for the much larger rosters ( compared to soccer) for baseball teams. Grounds crews also add or remove seats and turf to make the dimensions work in the stadium.
The planning and teamwork that goes into building this baseball field in 18 days still amazes me. #LondonSeries https://t.co/NjarBqttOq
— Murray Cook (@cookmurray) June 5, 2024
2019 Game Results
On the weekend of June 29, 2019, the American League East rivals, the Yankees and Red Sox, put on a run-scoring spectacle. A total of thirty runs were scored in game one with New York outlasting Boston 17-13. After this scoring output, the 20 runs that were scored in game two didn’t seem as exciting. With a score of 12-8, the Yankees swept the Red Sox in the two-game series.
2023 Game Results
From June 24-25, 2023, the Cardinals and Cubs met up in London Stadium. Cubs rookie pitcher Justin Steele shut down Adam Wainwright and the Cardinals. The United Kingdom finally witnessed some solid pitching, with the Cubs taking game one 9-1. Game two would go to the Cardinals in the first London Series game without a home run. With a final score of 7-5, the St. Louis bullpen surrendered only three hits in 6 1/3 innings pitched.
London Series Stat Leaders
Despite only four total games played in the series thus far, a few big-time performers stand out. Ian Happ and Michael Chavis share the lead for the most home runs, each with two. Despite only playing two games, DJ LeMahieu leads the way with seven runs batted in. Chicago’s Nico Hoerner has two of the three stolen bases out of the four games. Justin Steele has easily had the most dominant pitching performance and leads the way with eight strikeouts.
On June 8-9, the New York Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies. The broadcasts for both games will be on FOX. Saturday’s game has a 1:10 PM ET start time and Sunday has a 10:10 AM ET start.
Less than 24 hours away from the #LondonSeries on FOX ⚾️🇬🇧
📺: Coverage begins TOMORROW at 12:30pm ET pic.twitter.com/XiUjvQ3RUz
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 7, 2024
Photo Credit: © Peter van den Berg-USA TODAY Sports
