| MLB London Series | |
|---|---|
 Logo of the 2024 edition | |
| Sponsors | Mitel (2019) Capital One (2023) |
| Played series | 2019, 2023, 2024 |
| Planned series | TBD |
| Site | London Stadium London, UK |
| US television | Fox,Fox Deportes,ESPN andESPN Deportes |
| UK television | BBC Sport andTNT Sports |
TheMLB London Series is an arrangement forMajor League Baseball (MLB) to play selectregular season games at theLondon Stadium inLondon, England. The arrangement was initially for two years, 2019 and 2020, which was sponsored byMitel and branded asMitel & MLB Present London Series.[1] The 2019 games were the first MLB contests ever played inEurope, and featured theBoston Red Sox hosting two games against theNew York Yankees. Two games planned for 2020 between theSt. Louis Cardinals andChicago Cubs were cancelled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, the arrangement between MLB and Greater London was renewed for games in 2023, 2024, and 2026. Beginning with the2023 season, the series is branded as theMLB World Tour: London Series, reflecting the new "MLB World Tour" name applied togames played outside the U.S. and Canada.[2]
On May 8, 2018, MLB announced a two-year agreement to hold baseball games at the London Stadium during the 2019 and 2020 seasons. At that time, outside of thecontiguous United States andCanada, 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] TheNational Football League (NFL) had similarly held regular-season games in London—primarily atWembley—under the banner of theNFL 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] TheNBA similarly held games in London as part of itsGlobal Games series.[5]
Kelhem Salter, MLB's director of growth and strategy in theEMEA 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 astandard baseball) to promote the London games, encompassing a series ofzines 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 the2019 season between theBoston Red Sox andNew York Yankees, longtimedivisional rivals.[9] A planned series in 2020 was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On May 9, 2022, commissionerRob Manfred and London mayorSadiq 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, theNew York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played a two-game series, with theRed Sox the designated "home" team. TheYankees 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 the London Stadium, with theSt. Louis Cardinals hosting theChicago Cubs.[12] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the games were cancelled. CommissionerRob 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 inPuerto Rico andMexico for similar reasons.[13]
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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]
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On June 23, 2023, it was announced that the 2024 series would involve theNew York Mets and thePhiladelphia 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]
The 2026 series was planned to take place on June 13–14, 2026 and would have featured theNew York Yankees andToronto Blue Jays, however it was cancelled following scheduling issues with West Ham Stadium and Fox's previous broadcast commitments for the2026 FIFA World Cup.[18]
Locating a venue with the correct dimensions required for abaseball field was difficult, especially as the majority of stadiums in the London region are primarily designed forsoccer. MLB officials had evaluated multiple options (includingcricketfields such asThe Oval), before finalizing the London Stadium as the site.[7] The facility was originally constructed for the2012 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 the London Stadium for the games to make it resemble an MLBballpark, 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) ofFieldTurf, and clay for the pitcher's mound and home plate area sourced from Pennsylvania.[19] As the facility's locker rooms are smaller and suited towards soccer, larger, MLB-style clubhouses were built within the stadium.[9] As done previously at theToronto Blue Jays'Rogers Centre before its outfield being renovated prior to the2023 season, or at theMontreal Olympic Stadium (home of the now-defunctMontreal Expos), dimensions fromhome plate were posted in both feet and meters: 330 feet (100.6 m) to thefoul poles and 385 feet (117.4 m) to center field, with a 16-foot (4.9 m) fence.[19] The dimensions were described as being potentially hitter-friendly.[9][20] 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 aground rule that balls hitting the roof are considered dead.[21]
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.[22]
In the United States, television rights for both series were split betweenFox andESPN. Fox would broadcast theSaturday afternoon game, and ESPN theSunday afternoon game, with ESPN's broadcast typically produced as a special afternoon presentation ofSunday Night Baseball.[23]
In the United Kingdom, the series will be shown byBBC Sport until 2026 and also onTNT Sports.[24]
| Year | Date | Away team | Score | Home team | Attendance | Box score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | June 29 | New York Yankees | 17–13 | Boston Red Sox | 59,659 | [25] |
| June 30 | New York Yankees | 12–8 | Boston Red Sox | 59,059 | [26] | |
| 2020 | June 13 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | Canceled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic[13] | |
| June 14 | Chicago Cubs | – | St. Louis Cardinals | |||
| 2023 | June 24 | Chicago Cubs | 9–1 | St. Louis Cardinals | 54,662 | [27] |
| June 25 | Chicago Cubs | 5–7 | St. Louis Cardinals | 55,565 | [28] | |
| 2024 | June 8 | Philadelphia Phillies | 7–2 | New York Mets | 53,882 | [29][16] |
| June 9 | New York Mets | 6–5 | Philadelphia Phillies | 55,074 | [30][16] | |
| 2026 | June 13 | New York Yankees | Toronto Blue Jays | Canceled due to scheduling conflicts | ||
| June 14 | New York Yankees | – | Toronto Blue Jays | |||
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