MLB London Series | |
---|---|
Sponsors | Mitel (2019) Capital One (2023) |
Played series | 2019, 2023, 2024 |
Planned series | 2026 |
Site | London Stadium London, UK |
US television | Fox, Fox Deportes, ESPN and ESPN Deportes |
UK television | BBC Sport and TNT Sports |
The MLB London Series is an arrangement for Major League Baseball (MLB) to play select regular season games at London Stadium in London, England. The arrangement was initially for two years, 2019 and 2020, which was sponsored by Mitel and branded as Mitel & MLB Present London Series. [1] The 2019 games were the first MLB contests ever played in Europe, and featured the Boston Red Sox hosting two games against the New York Yankees. Two games planned for 2020 between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the arrangement between MLB and Greater London was renewed for games in 2023, 2024 and 2026. Beginning with the 2023 season, the series is branded as the MLB World Tour: London Series, reflecting the new "MLB World Tour" name applied to games played outside the U.S. and Canada. [2]
On May 8, 2018, MLB announced a two-year agreement to hold baseball games at London Stadium during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. At that time, outside of the contiguous United States and Canada, MLB had previously held regular season games in Australia, Japan, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, [3] and previously held spring training games in China, [4] but had never held any games in Europe. [5] The National Football League (NFL) had similarly held regular-season games in London—primarily at Wembley Stadium—under the banner of the NFL London Games. The NFL developed a large fanbase in the United Kingdom, and as of 2018, the games at Wembley had attracted an average attendance of 85,031. [6] The NBA similarly held games in London as part of its Global Games series. [5]
Kelhem Salter, MLB's director of growth and strategy in the EMEA region, noted that Europe was a "key growth market" for the league, and that Londoners were "big event-goers" and frequently sell-out events held there. [7] Unlike the other countries where MLB has held international games, baseball is not as popular and established in the United Kingdom. [7] Salter explained that the league wanted to differentiate its efforts in London from those of other leagues, by emphasizing a "connection to culture and the culture of the specific cities that our teams represent" to engage with new fans. In May 2018, the league began a year-long cultural program entitled "The 108" (referring to the number of stitches on a standard baseball) to promote the London games, encompassing a series of zines profiling MLB teams, as well as "The 108 Sessions" — a series of live concert events at local venues featuring acts representing the teams' cities. The campaign was designed to "build a genuine dialogue and relationship with cultural scenes that reflect those of the MLB home cities." [8] [7]
The inaugural series was played during the 2019 season between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, longtime divisional rivals. [9] A planned series in 2020 was canceled. On May 9, 2022, commissioner Rob Manfred and London mayor Sadiq Khan announced a long-term partnership between the league and the city including regular-season games in 2023, 2024 and 2026, along with other major events over a five-year period. [10]
In June 2019, the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played a two-game series, with the Red Sox the designated "home" team. The Yankees won the first game by a score of 17–13, and the second game by a score of 12–8. [11]
The 2020 series was scheduled to take place June 13–14, at London Stadium, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Chicago Cubs. [12] Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the games were cancelled. Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that "it was unlikely the events would go forward, and timely cancellation allowed us to preserve important financial resources". [13] The start of the 2020 season was delayed due to the pandemic, and MLB cancelled other planned games in Puerto Rico and Mexico for similar reasons. [13]
On August 4, 2022, the first matchup of the extended partnership between MLB and the City of London was announced, with the Cardinals and Cubs scheduled for a two-game series in London on June 24–25, 2023. [14]
In June 2023, the Cardinals and Cubs played a two-game series, with the Cardinals the designated "home" team. The Cubs won the first game by a score of 9–1, and the Cardinals won the second game by a score of 7–5, overcoming a 4-0 deficit after the 1st inning. [15]
On June 23, 2023, it was announced that the 2024 series would involve the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies, scheduled for June 8–9, 2024. [16]
The Mets and Phillies played a two game series, with the Mets as the designated home team for game 1 and the Phillies as the designated home team for game 2. The Phillies won the first game, 7–2, while the Mets won the second, 6–5. [17]
Locating a venue with the correct dimensions required for a baseball field was difficult, especially as the majority of stadiums in the London region are primarily designed for soccer. MLB officials had evaluated multiple options (including cricket fields such as The Oval), before finalizing London Stadium as the site. [7] The facility was originally constructed for the 2012 Summer Olympics; in late-2015, it was reported that MLB officials had measured the stadium's dimensions and considered it potentially suitable for baseball, and had negotiated the possibility of holding games there. [9] [5]
MLB developed a plan to adapt London Stadium for the games to make it resemble an MLB ballpark, via installation of a new baseball field as an overlay on top of the stadium's existing running track and pitch, with a seating configuration to emulate the more "intimate" layout and fan experiences of MLB ballparks. Materials to construct the playing surface include approximately 142,000 square feet (13,200 m2) of FieldTurf, and clay for the pitcher's mound and home plate area sourced from Pennsylvania. [18] As the facility's locker rooms are smaller and suited towards soccer, larger, MLB-style clubhouses were built within the stadium. [9] As done at the Toronto Blue Jays' Rogers Centre, dimensions from home plate were posted in both feet and meters: 330 feet (100.6 m) to the foul poles and 385 feet (117.4 m) to center field, with a 16-foot (4.9 m) fence. [18] The dimensions were described as being potentially hitter-friendly. [9] [19] The two points in left center and right center where the temporary fences join the wall in center field area are slightly closer than center, marked as 382 feet (116.4 m). As the roof overhangs the home plate area, there is a ground rule that balls hitting the roof are considered dead. [20]
For the 2023 series, the dimensions were extended by a few feet, to 387 feet (118 m) in the power alleys and 392 feet (119.5 m) to center field. [21]
In the United States, television rights for both series were split between Fox and ESPN. Fox would broadcast the Saturday afternoon game, and ESPN the Sunday afternoon game, with ESPN's broadcast typically produced as a special afternoon presentation of Sunday Night Baseball. [22]
In the United Kingdom, the series will be shown by BBC Sport until 2026 and also on TNT Sports. [23]
Year | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Attendance | Box score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | June 29 | New York Yankees | 17–13 | Boston Red Sox | 59,659 | [24] |
June 30 | New York Yankees | 12–8 | Boston Red Sox | 59,059 | [25] | |
2020 | June 13 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic [13] | |
June 14 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | |||
2023 | June 24 | Chicago Cubs | 9–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | 54,662 | [26] |
June 25 | Chicago Cubs | 5–7 | St. Louis Cardinals | 55,565 | [27] | |
2024 | June 8 | Philadelphia Phillies | 7–2 | New York Mets | 53,882 | [28] [16] |
June 9 | New York Mets | 6–5 | Philadelphia Phillies | 55,074 | [29] [16] |
Sunday Night Baseball is an exclusive weekly telecast of a Major League Baseball game that airs Sundays at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ESPN during the regular season.
ESPN Major League Baseball is an American presentation of live Major League Baseball (MLB) games produced by ESPN. ESPN's MLB broadcasts have also aired on sister networks and platforms ESPN2, ABC and ESPN+.
The 2004 Major League Baseball season ended when the Boston Red Sox defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in a four-game World Series sweep. The Red Sox championship ended an 86-year-long drought known as the Curse of the Bambino. The Red Sox were also the first team in MLB history and the third team from a major North American professional sports league ever to come back from a 3–0 postseason series deficit and win. This happened in the ALCS against the New York Yankees.
The 2007 Major League Baseball season began on April 1 with a rematch of the 2006 National League Championship Series; the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets played the first game of the season at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Missouri, which was won by the Mets, 6–1. The regular season concluded with seven teams entering the postseason who had failed to reach the 2006 playoffs including all National League teams, with only the New York Yankees returning; a dramatic one-game playoff between the Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres; and the largest September collapse for a leading team in baseball history, with the Mets squandering a 7-game lead with 17 to play, losing on the final day of the regular season, and the Philadelphia Phillies capturing the National League East for the first time since 1993. The season ended on October 28, with the Boston Red Sox sweeping the World Series over the Rockies, four games to zero.
Philip Cuzzi is an American professional baseball umpire in Major League Baseball (MLB). He worked as a reserve umpire in the National League (NL) from 1991 to 1993 and returned to the NL in 1999. Since 2000, he has worked in both major leagues. Cuzzi wore number 99 when his career started; he now wears number 10.
The 1959 Major League Baseball season was played from April 9 to October 9, 1959. It saw the Los Angeles Dodgers, free of the strife produced by their move from Brooklyn the previous season, rebound to win the National League pennant after a two-game playoff against the Milwaukee Braves, who themselves had moved from Boston in 1953. The Dodgers won the World Series against a Chicago White Sox team that had not played in the "Fall Classic" since 1919 and was interrupting a Yankees' dynasty that dominated the American League between 1949 and 1964.
The 1951 Major League Baseball season opened on April 16 and finished on October 12, 1951. Teams from both leagues played a 154-game regular season schedule. At the end of the regular season, the National League pennant was still undecided, resulting in a three-game playoff between the New York Giants and the Brooklyn Dodgers. After splitting the first two games, the stage was set for a decisive third game, won in dramatic fashion on a walk-off home run from the bat of Giant Bobby Thomson, one of the most famous moments in the history of baseball, commemorated as the "Shot Heard 'Round the World" and "The Miracle at Coogan's Bluff". The Giants lost the World Series to defending champion New York Yankees, who were in the midst of a 5-year World Series winning streak.
The 1918 major league baseball season began on April 15, 1918. The regular season ended earlier than originally scheduled, September 2, because of a reduced schedule due to American participation in World War I. The National League and American League champions were the Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox, respectively. The postseason began with Game 1 of the 15th World Series on September 5 and ended with Game 6 on September 11. The Red Sox defeated the Cubs, four games to two.
Throughout its history, Major League Baseball rivalries have occurred between many teams and cities. Rivalries have arisen for many different reasons, the primary ones including geographic proximity, familiarity with opponents, various incidents, and cultural, linguistic, or national pride.
José Guillermo Quintana is a Colombian-American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals.
The 2017 Major League Baseball season began on April 2 with three games, including the 2016 World Series champions Chicago Cubs facing off against the St. Louis Cardinals, the regular season ended in late September. The postseason began on October 3. The World Series began October 24 and Game 7 was played on November 1, in which the Houston Astros defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games, to capture their first World Series championship in franchise history.
The 2018 Major League Baseball season began on March 29. The regular season ended on October 1, extended a day for tiebreaker games to decide the winners of the National League Central and National League West. The postseason began on October 2. The World Series began on October 23, and ended on October 28 with the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games to win their ninth World Series championship.
The MLB Little League Classic is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) specialty game held in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, during the Little League World Series, first contested during the 2017 edition of that event. The series is part of MLB's effort to get more children interested in and involved with baseball at a younger age.
The following are the baseball events of the year 2018 throughout the world.
The 2019 Major League Baseball season began on March 20, while the regular season ended on September 29. It was the 150th anniversary of professional baseball, dating back to the 1869 foundation of the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The postseason began on October 1. The World Series began October 22 and ended October 30 with the Washington Nationals defeating the Houston Astros in seven games to win their first World Series championship. The entire schedule was released on August 22, 2018.
The 2019 MLB London Series was a two-game Major League Baseball series between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox at London Stadium in London, United Kingdom, in 2019. Sponsored by Mitel, it is branded as Mitel & MLB Present London Series. These were the first MLB games ever played in Europe.
The 2020 Major League Baseball season began on July 23 and ended on September 27 with only 60 games amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The full 162-game regular season was planned to begin on March 26, but the pandemic caused Major League Baseball (MLB) to announce on March 12 that the remainder of spring training was canceled and that the start of the regular season would be delayed by at least two weeks. On March 16, MLB announced that the season would be postponed indefinitely, following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to restrict events of more than 50 people. This was the first time that MLB games had been put on hold since the 2001 season, when the season was paused for over a week after the September 11 attacks.