By Ben CollinsBBC Sport at London Stadium
Last updated on .From the section Baseball
It was honours even at London Stadium this weekend as Major League Baseball made its long-awaited return to the UK.
Four years after the New York Yankees faced the Boston Red Sox in the first London Series, ‘America’s pastime’ was back on British soil with another of MLB’s biggest rivalries.
After the Covid-19 pandemic prevented them making a scheduled visit in 2020, the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals were finally able to cross the Atlantic.
And the midwest rivals split the two-game series in front of the two biggest MLB crowds of the season.
More than 110,000 fans turned out in glorious sunshine across two days in Stratford as MLB’s effort to grow the game in Europe continues.
‘Route 66’ rivalry arrives in E20
Based 334 miles apart on Route 66, Chicago and St Louis were trade rivals before becoming sporting adversaries, with the Cardinals and Cubs having battled it out on the field for more than 130 years.
Their first overseas meeting saw many fans travel, and some Cubs fans summed up the rivalry with T-shirts that read “I’d rather fly across an ocean than go to St Louis”.
Neither side has had much to brag about so far this season, with both having losing records, but a successful trip to London could have been the boost needed to go on and snatch a wildcard spot for the play-offs.
It took an 18-day transformation to turn West Ham’s home ground into a ballpark bigger than any currently in the US.
And a mix of US tourists, ex-pats and UK fans attended to make up a crowd of 54,662 on Saturday, which was topped by 55,565 for game two.
Anderson overcomes his nerves
With the Ashes under way and set to continue in London on Wednesday, cricket stars James Anderson and Nathan Lyon were invited to throw the ceremonial first pitch on Saturday.
It isn’t as easy as it might seem. The likes of 50 Cent and Conor McGregor have both tried and failed.
And during his journey from Manchester, Anderson said his daughter showed him a video of the 10 worst ceremonial pitches of all time.
“That hasn’t filled me with confidence,” laughed the England bowler. “I feel a bit underprepared. I’m very nervous.”
Australian off-spinner Lyon feared he would be as bad as 50 Cent. They needn’t have worried though. Both their efforts flew right over the plate.
“I’m absolutely buzzing with that,” Anderson said when he joined the BBC commentary team. “There was definitely some adrenaline going out there.”
World Series winners Dexter Fowler and Albert Pujols did the honours on Sunday, while St Louis fan John Goodman led the time-honoured tradition of signing ‘Take Me Out to the Ball Game’ during the seventh-inning stretch.
Fellow actor Bill Murray was also in town, with the die-hard Cubs fan waving to supporters and throwing his cap into the crowd on Saturday.
Stro’ Show a no-go
While the inaugural London game was a 17-13 slugfest, Saturday’s fixture proved to be a one-sided affair.
Chicago’s Ian Happ was “very aware” the walls were moved back 7ft from 2019, when the Yankees and Red Sox racked up 50 runs in two games.
No matter. He cleared the 16ft fence, now 392ft from the plate, for the game’s opening home run and hit another from his next at-bat.
Dansby Swanson added a late two-run homer to clinch a 9-1 win for the Cubs.
With Marcus Stroman set to be the Cubs’ starting pitcher for game two, it looked ominous for St Louis, who are bottom of the National League’s Central division.
Cubs manager David Ross told UK fans to “come out and see the ‘Stro’ Show’, it’s going to be fun”.
“He’s a guy who loves the spotlight and rises to the occasion. He’s going to be a star on the big stage,” Ross added.
Tickets were still available, starting from £59, and E20 was set for a scorcher. While Saturday was warm, Sunday was sweltering – 31 degrees at the first pitch.
Chicago and Stroman also made a scorching start, leading 4-0 after the first innings.
But St Louis fought back to lead 7-4, with Stroman having to exit the game in the fourth inning due to a blister on the index finger of his throwing hand.
The Cardinals saw out a 7-5 victory, with Willson Contreras collecting four hits against his former team.
‘This is art – the home run of food’
Contreras, a World Series winner with the Cubs in 2016, and the Cardinals’ winning pitcher Jake Woodford both said “it’s the biggest crowd I’ve ever played in front of”.
But the London Series wasn’t just about the numbers, it was about the ballpark experience, one that many British youngsters were experiencing for the first time.
Asked by an MC what they enjoyed the most, one young fan said simply “the food”.
There was all manner of ballpark cuisine available inside and outside the stadium, plus batting cages and pitching tunnels for fans to try.
The baseball organ, the sing-a-longs, even the race around the outfield between huge mascots of Henry VIII, Winston Churchill and Freddie Mercury – it was all part of the experience, and MLB London will be back in 2024 and 2026.
While this year’s series might not have had as many big hits as 2019, fans will always remember their days out at the ball game.
