After four
years of waiting due to the Covid19 pandemic the MLB London Series returned
with another rivalry series between the two National League Central power
houses St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs. More then a combined 109,000 fans
packed London Stadium, usually home of West Ham United and former 2012 Olympic
Stadium, for the two-game series.
Like with the
European debut in 2019 it was not only two regular season games, but it was an
international sports event with celebrities taking part in the festivities on
the field and in the stands. Actors Bill Murray and John Goodman took in the
games. Former Major Leaguers didn’t wanted to miss the contests as well. Albert
Pujols and Dexter Fowler threw the ceremonial first pitch on Sunday, while
David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter took in London and the games as
part of the broadcasting FOX crew.
Additionally
baseball took center stage in London for the weekend, as there was Home Run
Derby X on Trafalgar Square on Friday evening including former Major Leaguers Nick
Swisher, David Eckstein and Hanley Ramirez among others, but also Italian
softball great Erika Piancastelli. Baseball was present in London city as the
fans went sightseeing before and after the games with Chicago Cubs and St.
Louis Cardinals gear dominating the sightlines.
On Saturday
the Chicago Cubs dominated the series opener with a 9-1 win over the St. Louis
Cardinals, which featured both teams wearing their customary white home
uniforms. Chicago led 7-0 after four innings en route to an easy victory. Ian
Happ hit two home runs and Dansby Swanson added a third for the Cubs to lead
the way. Justin Steele kept the Cardinals hitless through the first five
innings and finished with eight strikeouts in six frames for the win. St. Louis’
great Adam Wainwright took the loss.
The game on
Sunday was more even balanced and even provided some drama on the field. This
time the St. Louis Cardinals prevailed 7-5 over the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs
opened the game with a four-run first inning. But afterwards the Cardinals took
over and scored seven combined runs between the second and the fifth to turn
around the game. Former Cub Willson Contreras went 4-for-4 with two runs and Germany-born
Brandon Donovan had two RBI for St. Louis.
The MLB London Series returns in 2024 when the New York Mets take on the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8 and 9.
Photo by Major League Baseball
