MLB London Series: Dates, history, venues, how to watch & more

The MLB London Series returns for its second iteration at the London Stadium this June, with NL East rivals the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies doing battle.

The great and good of Major League Baseball will put on a show for the fans of the sport on the other side of the pond with two of the most historic ball clubs aiming for the win in the two-game series.

MLB London Series dates

The MLB London Series is set to take place this weekend on Saturday 8th June and Sunday 9th June.

MLB London Series times

This year’s MLB London Series will see the first pitch thrown at 18.10 BST Time.

MLB London Series teams

This year’s MLB London Series sees the New York Mets take on the Philadelphia Phillies, both teams in the NL East.

The rivalry between the pair is known as the Battle of the Broads, a reference to Broadway in New York and Broad Street in Philadelphia.

They first met in 1962 and have faced off 1,072 times since then, with the Phillies narrowly edging the regular season series 551–520–1.

The Mets have won the World Series twice, in 1969 and 1986, while Philadelphia have also secured two titles, in 1980 and 2008.

The duo have had sharply contrasting seasons this year however, the New York Mets are 26-35 at the time of writing after a series of heavy-spending campaigns have brought very little success.

They are 16.5 games back of the NL East-leading Phillies, who have a record of 43-19 and are seven games clear of the Atlanta Braves in second place in the division. 

MLB London Series venue

The MLB London Series will take place at the London Stadium, which is Premier League West Ham’s home ground.

The stadium was also the host for the 2012 London Olympics and has hosted both codes of rugby, motorsports and concerts.

The stadium has to undergo considerable alterations for the MLB London Series, including seating adjustments, larger locker rooms and the installation of a new playing surface with a custom-built mound.

The dimensions of the London Stadium are 330 feet (100.6 metres) to the foul poles and 385 feet (117.4 metres) to centre field. These are batter friendly and should allow for plenty of big hitting.

The capacity of the stadium for baseball games is 66,000 which is higher than it is for football but lower than it is for concerts, which is 80,000.  

MLB London Series how to watch

The MLB London Series will be available to watch across the BBC, with a deal running with the broadcaster until 2026. It will also be available to watch on TNT Sports.

The games will be broadcast in America on Fox and ESPN.

MLB London Series history

The MLB London Series has taken place just twice before, with the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox facing off in 2019.

The two games were high-scoring affairs, with 30 runs in the first game and 20 in the second. The first matchup was the second-most runs scored ever in a game between those two teams.

The New York Yankees won both games, six runs for each team in the first inning started a wild first game that saw six home runs, with the Yankees running out 17-13 winners.

Boston had three first inning home runs but failed to capitalise on that, giving up nine runs in the seventh to trail 11-4. The Red Sox rallied somewhat but New York still ran out 12-8 winners.

In the second series last year the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals split the series; the Cubs took the first game 9-1 while the Cardinals ran out 7-5 winners in the second.

MLB London Series format

The two teams play a two-game series across the weekend, which is part of the 162-game MLB regular season.

The Mets are the designated home team in the first match, while the Phillies have that honour in the second.