MLB London Series
MLB London Series | |
---|---|
Sponsors | Mitel (2019) Capital One (2023) |
Played series | 2019, 2023 |
Planned series | 2024, 2026 |
Site | London Stadium London, UK |
US television | Fox and ESPN |
UK television | BBC Sport and TNT Sports |
The MLB London Series is an arrangement for
Background
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
Kelhem Salter, MLB's director of growth and strategy in the
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]
Series history
2019
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.
2020
The 2020 series was scheduled to take place June 13–14, at London Stadium, with the St. Louis Cardinals hosting the Chicago Cubs.[11] 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".[12] 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.[12]
2023
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.[13]
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.[14]
2024
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.[15]
Venue
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
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.[19]
Broadcasting
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.[20]
In the United Kingdom, the series will be shown by the BBC Sport until 2026 and also on TNT Sports.[21]
Series summary
Year | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Attendance | Box score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | June 29 | New York Yankees | 17–13 | Boston Red Sox | 59,659 | [22] |
June 30 | New York Yankees | 12–8 | Boston Red Sox | 59,059 | [23] | |
2020 | June 13 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[12] | |
June 14 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | |||
2023 | June 24 | Chicago Cubs | 9–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | 54,662 | [24] |
June 25 | Chicago Cubs | 5–7 | St. Louis Cardinals | 55,565 | [25] | |
2024 | June 8 | New York Mets | – | Philadelphia Phillies | [15] | |
June 9 | New York Mets | – | Philadelphia Phillies | [15] |
See also
References
- ^ "Connecting in one swing: inside Mitel's title sponsorship of the MLB London Series". www.sportspromedia.com. November 30, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ^ Wybrow, Laura (December 6, 2022). "MLB London Series 2023 tickets live now — how to get tickets today". Radio Times. Retrieved May 3, 2023.
- ^ Gray, Niall (May 8, 2018). "Yankees Red Sox Will Play In London In 2019". MLB.com. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
- ^ "2008 MLB China Series". MLB.com. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ a b c Ferguson, Ryan (December 9, 2015). "MLB in Europe? London in the frame as baseball expands its horizons". The Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "NFL London Games Record Highest-Ever Average Attendance". Newsweek. October 30, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ^ a b c d ""We don't want to emulate the NFL and NBA": How MLB is planning to create its own London identity". SportsPro. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ "MLB Steps Up the Build to Its First Ever London Game by Launching 'The 108' Zine and Live Music Night". Complex. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Carpenter, Les (July 21, 2018). "'You want to make sure you get it right': Baseball's big plans for London". The Guardian. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
- ^ Murphy, Brian (May 9, 2022). "MLB, London announce long-term partnership". MLB.com. Retrieved May 9, 2022.
- ^ "St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs to play in Mitel & MLB London Series 2020". MLB.com. June 7, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
- ^ a b c "MLB cancels Cubs-Cardinals London series in June". ESPN.com. April 1, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2020.
- ^ "MLB announces that Cubs will play Cardinals in London in 2023". cubshq.com. August 4, 2022. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
- ^ Axisa, Mike (June 25, 2023). "MLB London Series: Contreras has big game against former team, Cardinals erase early 4-0 deficit in Game 2 win". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c Zolecki, Todd (June 23, 2023). "2024 London Series will feature NL East rivalry in Mets-Phils". MLB.com. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
- ^ a b "MLB going to great lengths for Yankees-Red Sox series in London". New York Post. Associated Press. May 21, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
- ^ Witz, Billy (May 8, 2018). "Yankees-Red Sox Games in London Next June Could Be Home Run Derbies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- ^ Blum, Ronald (June 28, 2019). "High cheese comes to land of high tea: Yanks vs Red Sox". New Haven Register. AP. Retrieved June 28, 2019.
- ^ Dorney, Adrian (June 24, 2023). "What are MLB London Series' field dimensions? London stadium transformed into ballpark for Chicago Cubs vs St. Louis Cardinals rivalry". www.sportskeeda.com.
- ^ "Fox, ESPN will each broadcast a game of the London Series". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Yankees v Red Sox: BBC to show Major League Baseball games". BBC Sport. September 22, 2022. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ "New York Yankees 17, Boston Red Sox 13". ESPN. June 29, 2019.
- ^ "New York Yankees 12, Boston Red Sox 8". ESPN. June 30, 2019.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs 9, St. Louis Cardinals 1". ESPN. June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Chicago Cubs 5, St. Louis Cardinals 7". ESPN. June 25, 2023.