Getting You Set For The Mets In Blighty

The New York Mets are officially in little Old Blighty.

In a banner week for Major League Baseball, the Mets are set to play in their second national capital city in a seven-day span after sweeping the Nationals in Washington earlier in the week.

This weekend will mark the first time in franchise history that the Mets have played baseball in London. However, it isn’t the first time that the organization has jetted off to other locales in order to spread the gospel of the sport. In fact, New York appeared in the first international game – outside of Canada – in Major League history when they played a three-game series against the San Diego Padres in Monterrey, Mexico in 1996. They also played the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo in 1998 and the Florida Marlins in Puerto Rico in 2010.

But, keeping the focus strictly on the London Series, the Mets have now had a couple of days to adjust to their new surroundings and check out the delights England’s capital city has to offer. I just hope they have stayed away from Jellied Eeels, a traditional East London delicacy. Try them at your own peril if you happen to be in the area this weekend.

Francisco Lindor has certainly been enjoying the high-end fashion that can be found in certain corners of London. Hopefully he invested in a warm jacket given that the weather in England can be suspect at best, even in the summer.

London Stadium

There are plenty of sites worth checking out in London, including Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. Also worth exploring is Queen Elizabeth Park, where all the action will take place this weekend. Built specifically for the 2012 London Olympics, the complex houses London Stadium, which is where the Mets and the Phillies will do battle. The history, albeit brief, of London Stadium is fascinating.

The venue was the home of athletics for both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Additionally, both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the London Games were hosted at London Stadium. Following the Games, the stadium was renovated and tweaked in order to become the new home of West Ham United Football Club. Plying their trade in the Premier League, the Hammers have called London Stadium home since 2016.

London Stadium can accommodate 80,000 fans for a soccer game, although the capacity will be closer to 60,000 for this weekend.

History Of Baseball In London 

Baseball in England actually existed before the current London Series was born. Back in 1874, the Boston Red Stockings and Philadelphia Athletics played baseball in London, Manchester, Dublin and Liverpool. The Cubs would also play in a number of British cities in 1888.

The New York Giants then took on the Chicago White Sox in an exhibition game in 1914, where the Sox beat the Giants 10-9 at a rain-soaked Stamford Bridge. King George V was in attendance, throwing out the first pitch in front of 25,000 fans.

You will be interested to know that the Mets actually do have some history in London. Back in 1993, a bunch of Mets and Boston Red Sox minor leaguers were dispatched to London to play at The Oval. However, rain ruined much of the three-day event.

Now, back to the present day. In order to grow America’s National Pastime, MLB opted to create the MLB World Tour. As part of that, the London Series was born. The inaugural event took place in 2019 at London Stadium, with the historic rivalry between the Yankees and Red Sox shifting to Blighty. It proved to be an exhilarating start to the relationship between London and MLB, with New York and Boston combining for 50 runs and 65 hits over just two games. The Yankees came out on top, winning both games by scores of 17-13 and 12-8.

Looking to build on the success of the 2019 event, MLB eventually returned to London in 2023 with another historic matchup after COVID-19 caused the second iteration to be pushed back a few years. The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals split the series in-front of near-sellouts.

Mets Who Have Played In London Before

Two current Mets have prior experience playing in London. Adam Ottavino and J.D. Martinez were both part of the inaugural London Series between the Yankees and the Red Sox in 2019. Martinez went a combined 6-for-9 with two doubles, a homer and two RBIs in two games for Boston while also reaching base safely the two times he faced Ottavino over that stretch. As for Ottavino, he didn’t allow a run in two trips out of the bullpen, striking out two over 1 2/3 innings of work.

An English Perspective

English baseball fans will now get to indulge in a third matchup between two storied rivals when the Mets and Phillies play this weekend. There is also already an agreement in place for further games to be played in London in 2026. Having attended the London Series in 2023, it is clear that baseball is becoming more and more popular in the UK. There were a sea of jerseys on display, covering all 30 MLB franchises. I even saw a couple of Expos jerseys floating around.

There is clearly an appetite for America’s National Pastime in England, and that’s reflected in how the London Series is being hyped up by MLB as the event is being covered exhaustively. MLB Central, the flagship show of MLB Network, is in London to host live shows. The NFL has exploded in popularity in England thanks in part to hosting games in the capital every year, and MLB seems to be taking from the same playbook.

There will be plenty of Mets fans making the long trip to see their team in London, who will be joined by a large contingent of UK-based Mets fans, and that’s why the London Series is such a home run for MLB. This beautiful game deserves to be enjoyed by people all over the world, and London has already proved to be a great fit. I say that as someone born in England, but who fell in love with American sports. It is a joy to see MLB so warmly embraced by my home country.

It should be another great weekend, especially if the Mets can extend their current winning streak.

The post Getting You Set For The Mets In Blighty appeared first on Metsmerized Online.