LONDON -- I planned my honeymoon around the Mets, which in hindsight (and at the time of booking, if I'm being honest) was a terrible idea.
Jet-lagged, dehydrated and somehow slightly sunburned, I headed into London Stadium, prepared to watch the National League-leading Phillies stomp the Mets in front of crowds of 55,000 people. It felt like I was being punished for some mortal sin I didn't know I'd committed.
The London Series, it turns out, was perfect.
The baseball wasn't particularly good, unless you consider ninth-inning chaos good (which I do, to be clear, but your mileage may vary). But The Baseball, that joyous, life-ruining, addictive part of our soul that we can't seem to rid ourselves us, was good.
The Brits may not understand baseball but they know how to put on a show. The concourse around London Stadium, built for the 2012 Olympics and now home to the West Ham United of the Premier League, was packed with the English idea of American food: disgustingly overloaded two-foot hot dogs and pizza that looked like cardboard and Philly cheesesteaks topped with a sauce I'm pretty sure glowed in the dark. There were jugglers and dancers and a marching band that didn't march and batting cages and a DJ and beer bats taller than me (I'd unfortunately learn on the tube ride home that selling people that much beer AND a makeshift weapon is a terrible idea).
It felt more like a Phillies home game inside, which would have been fine and a credit to the fandom had that not resulted in raucous booing of Quad-A relievers they'd probably never even heard of and definitely had no reason to boo other than the shirt they wore. But the main takeaway is that everyone was happy to be there, even as Sean Manaea gave up a three-run home run to Whit Merrifield and Jose Alvarado imploded to a level that should be considered treasonous. None of that particularly mattered. The boxscores say Mets and Phillies split the series. Great. Good for them. If the season continues on a stable trajectory, neither those wins nor losses is likely to affect either team. What made those games matter was the reminder that this is all supposed to be fun.
I bonded with a Scottish man in the row behind me who thought the inning break after the first was halftime, and with the Philly bro in front of me who turned around to mock me over how much I was paying Starling Marte (I mostly graciously reminded him that Steve Cohen was cutting the check, not me). I saw jerseys emblazoned with the names of Keith Hernandez, Roy Halladay and Shohei Ohtani, but also of Stephen Nogosek, Dom Brown and Philip Humber. I saw more than a few Wawa T-shirts too.
I found friends I hadn't seen in years, thousands of miles from home, and eavesdropped as my sister politely, calmly explained foul balls to her boyfriend a dozen times. I sang along to "Mr. Brightside" and "Sweet Caroline" with tens of thousands of strangers. I debated whether an MLB team in London could work (my husband insists it could, I think the travel would make it impossible, even if the TV deals would make it worth it). At a Friday event at Trafalgar Square, I watched Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard take batting practice in the cage against Home Run Derby pitching legend Dave Jauss before giving way to a competition between Chase Utley and Daniel Murphy (Murphy, who took the entire thing way too seriously, dominated). Mike Piazza and David Wright were there. So was Dellin Betances for some reason.
We were all there for some reason. Some of us were on vacation. Some of us jumped at the chance to see baseball in the land of soccer, rugby and cricket. Some of us just wanted a day out of the house. But we were all there together and for 18 innings nothing outside mattered. It didn't matter if you could name the 2007 triples leader or recite Dedniel Núñez's splits. The London Series counts for two games in the books, but it was an event more than it was a series. The Brits may not have gotten great baseball, but they got a great event.
FAQs
— Catcher Luis Torrens turned Nick Castellanos' bases-loaded roller in front of the plate into a game-ending double play, and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on Sunday for a split of their two-game London Series.
Why were the Phillies in London? ›
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies play a two-game set this weekend at London Stadium for the league's third visit in the past five years — ahead of another date in 2026. It's a marriage that has worked. The city boasts of a big economic impact, and MLB gains more international exposure.
How many games did the Phillies play in London? ›
The Phillies and Mets will play a two-game series at London Stadium on Saturday, June 8, and Sunday, June 9. The teams will split being the home team, with Saturday a home game for New York and Sunday for Philly. London is five hours ahead of Philadelphia and New York, so consider the start times for both games.
What are the ratings for the MLB London series? ›
In the second edition of the Major League Baseball London Series, Cubs-Cardinals averaged a 1.0 rating and 1.80 million viewers on FOX Saturday and a 0.7 and 1.17 million on ESPN Sunday — both down sharply from the equivalent Yankees-Red Sox games from London four years ago (1.9, 2.86M; 1.4, 2.06M).
What was the score of the Mets in London? ›
LONDON (AP) — Catcher Luis Torrens turned Nick Castellanos' bases-loaded roller in front of the plate into a game-ending double play, and the New York Mets beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-5 on Sunday for a split of their two-game London Series.
What is the Mets record against the Phillies? ›
The Philadelphia Phillies are 552-521 versus the Mets all-time.
Were there more Phillies or Mets fans in London? ›
It's probably recognition bias but it really did seem like Phillies fans were everywhere — and far outnumbered Mets fans in town.
Did the Phillies win any games in London? ›
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the New York Mets 7-2 in the opening game of Major League Baseball's London Series at London Stadium. The game was decided by an explosive six-run fourth inning for the Phillies which resulted in the Mets' starting pitcher Sean Manaea being pulled.
Why did the Phillies change their name? ›
According to additional sources, Hans had his hands in the name change. He thought that “Phils” sounded better. Plus, Phillies had become synonymous with losing baseball and he wanted to change the culture.
Which MLB teams will play in London in 2024? ›
Major League Baseball returns to the U.K. as the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies square off in the 2024 London Series beginning Saturday.
More than two million people attended games of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022 at Citizens Bank Park, which has been the home for the team since 2004.
Where are the Mets playing in London in 2024? ›
London Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium that was constructed to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. It has served as the home of West Ham United in the Premier League since 2016. The Mets-Phillies series will be the third hosted at London Stadium, following the Yankees and Red Sox in 2019 and Cubs and Cardinals in 2023.
What level of baseball are the London Majors? ›
The London Majors are an independent, minor league baseball team of the Intercounty Baseball League. The team was founded in 1925, and is based in London, Ontario. They play their home games at the 5,200 seat Labatt Memorial Park.
What is the most viewed MLB World Series? ›
The 1978 Fall Classic was the most-watched World Series of all time, drawing an average of 44.279 million viewers. The six-game series between the Yankees and Dodgers culminated in a Game 6 that drew 50.6 million viewers.
Who won the MLB London series? ›
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.
Did the Phillies win their game in London? ›
The New York Mets produced a thrilling 6-5 comeback win over rivals the Philadelphia Phillies to level Major League Baseball's two-game London Series. The Phillies cruised to a 7-2 victory in the opening game at London Stadium on Saturday, but their second meeting less than 24 hours later was a closer contest.
Who won the MLB London series in 2024? ›
With the Mets' nail-biter 6-5 victory over the Phillies on Sunday, the 2024 London Series has come to an end. The NL East rivals went out with a bang -- sort of -- with a tightly-contested game culminating in an anxious ninth inning in which both clubs mounted rallies. But...
Who beat the Mets in the World Series? ›
The Mets were defeated by the Yankees in five games. The most memorable moment of the 2000 World Series occurred during the first inning of Game 2 at Yankee Stadium.
Who did the Phillies win the World Series against? ›
The Phillies have won two World Series championships (against the Kansas City Royals in 1980 and the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008), eight National League pennants (the first of which came in 1915), and made 15 playoff appearances.
