{"id":76061,"date":"2024-06-08T07:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-08T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=76061"},"modified":"2024-06-07T22:37:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-08T02:37:37","slug":"history-behind-mlb-london-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/06\/08\/history-behind-mlb-london-series\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brief History of the MLB London Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally just a two-game arrangement in 2019, the London Series is becoming a new tradition in MLB.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 This year’s festivities kicked off on Friday with the Trafalgar Square Takeover<\/a>.\u00a0 Lasting through Sunday, the square is open to the public with live music and baseball-related events.\u00a0 For those lucky enough to be in the London area, the event is family-friendly and free to the public.<\/span><\/p>\n

The History Behind the London Series<\/span><\/h2>\n

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.\u00a0 This marked the first regular season MLB game played in Europe.\u00a0 The plan was for the St. Louis Cardinals to face the National League Central rival Chicago Cubs in 2020.\u00a0 The COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> caused the cancellation of the 2020 series. With no games played in 2021 or 2022, the Cardinals and Cubs would <\/span>get their opportunity<\/span> to play in 2023.\u00a0 MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and London Mayor Sadiq Khan have agreed to a series in 2026 as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Grounds crews also add or remove seats and turf to make the dimensions work in the stadium.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The planning and teamwork that goes into building this baseball field in 18 days still amazes me. #LondonSeries<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/NjarBqttOq<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Murray Cook (@cookmurray) June 5, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n