MLB London Series 2024 – New York Mets x Philadelphia Phillies
Local: London Stadium Date: Saturday, June 8th and Sunday, June 9th First pitch: 6:10 pm and 3:10 pm Brasília time.
Roof: Watch both games live on BBC iPlayer, Red Button and the BBC Sport website and app on Saturday from 6pm and Sunday from 3pm.
Major League Baseball returns to the UK this weekend with another of the league’s biggest rivalries crossing the Atlantic.
St Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs shared last year’s two-game series at the London Stadium and now it’s time for the Battle of the Broads.
This is the name given to the rivalry between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies – after Broadway in New York and Broad Street in Philadelphia.
The ‘Polar Bear’ and the ‘Showman’ will be among the stars on display during both regular season games and you can watch both games live on the BBC.
Who are the MLB London favorites?
With New York and Philadelphia 90 miles apart on the East Coast, their sports teams have long been rivals, and after the Dodgers and Giants moved from the Big Apple to the West Coast in the 1950s, the Mets were formed. in 1962 to fill the void. .
As divisional rivals in the National League East, they and the Phillies – one of MLB’s oldest clubs founded in 1883 – have faced each other more than 1,000 times, with the Phillies surpassing their record for head-to-head meetings (551-520).
Both have twice won baseball’s biggest prize – the World Series – with the Mets winning in 1969 and 1986, while the Phillies triumphed in 1980 and 2008.
“They come from tough cities with hardcore fans, so it’s a very intense and fun rivalry,” says Joe Posnanski, author of Why We Love Baseball.
The Phillies reached his eighth World Series in 2022 and closely seemed short last season.
They currently have MLB’s best combined record of 44 wins and 19 losses, while the Mets are struggling again at 27-35, although their 2020 acquisition by billionaire Steve Cohen helped them reach the play-offs in 2022 .
“The Mets are the highest-paid team in baseball,” adds Posnanski. “There were high expectations, but so far they have not been able to live up to them.”
Who are the players to watch?
The Mets’ payroll may be $309 million (£241 million), but the Phillies – who pay $246 million (£192 million) a year – signed Bryce Harper in 2019 to a record $ 330 million for 13 years.
“No matter how big the star of the game,” the first baseman often wears a headband with his nickname ‘Showman’ on it.
“He’s a great hitter,” Posnanski says. “He can hit a massive home run at any time.”
Ranger Suarez arrived this year as a “relative unknown,” but the Venezuelan leads MLB pitchers with a 1.70 ERA (Average run won) and is expected to begin on Saturday, with Mexican pitcher Taijuan Walker scheduled for Sunday.
However, Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber may be the player that UK fans will “get the most out of.”
“He’s a big, raw guy who goes to the plate looking to do one thing and one thing only: hit the ball over the fence,” adds Posnanski.
The Mets’ power hitter is Pete Alonso, a burly first baseman nicknamed the ‘Polar Bear,’ while Puerto Rico shortstop Francisco Lindor is “sure to make some dazzling plays.”
Veteran left-hander Sean Manaea will be the starting pitcher on Saturday, with José Quintana taking over on Sunday.
Who will throw the first pitch?
Having made his name on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, it will come as no surprise to learn that Rob McElhenney is one of those hardcore Phillies fans.
On the show, his character ‘Mac’ wrote a love letter to Phillies legend Chase Utley, saying he wanted to ‘play tag’ with the 2008 World Series winner.
At his retirement ceremony in 2019, Utley threw out the first pitch to McElhenney, but the actor’s connection to the team runs even deeper.
While he and his wife — Always Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson — were at a Phillies game in 2010, she went into labor with their first child.
Now co-owner of Welsh football team Wrexham, McElhenney will support his team in London and throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Sunday.
Fellow actor Matthew Broderick, an avid Mets fan, will do the honors on Saturday.
When are the MLB games in London?
This year’s games in London take place on June 8th and 9th, with the first pitch being thrown at 6:10pm BST on Saturday and 3:10pm on Sunday.
London Stadium will feature traditional stadium food from New York and Philadelphia, and last year’s favorite is back on the menu – a two-foot hot dog.
From Friday to Sunday there will also be a baseball festival in Trafalgar Square, where Utley will be joined by Gladiators Apollo and Fire.
