MLB London Series - Baseball in Blighty

Where do I begin? How can I possibly do justice to what I have seen these past two days, this historic series between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox?

No recap can accurately describe the drama I witnessed this weekend but I'm here to try and share my thoughts and feelings nonetheless.

Saturday and Sunday saw nearly 120,000 fans make the pilgrimage to West Ham United's London Stadium to enjoy Major League Baseball on European soil for the first time in the sport's history.

This was no exhibition, these were real games that actually mattered, featuring some of the biggest and brightest stars to grace the modern game. In my nation's capital no less, essentially on my front door.

Enormous credit must go to MLB and their partners for successfully transforming what is widely considered a poor football stadium into a proper ballpark. They really nailed the baseball experience, from the concessions to the merchandise, to the music, the fireworks, the ticker-tape and streamers raining down upon us after the final out. It helped lend the entire weekend the authenticity this series needed to be a considered a true success.

MLB balanced their presentation perfectly, appealing to experienced fans like myself who don't need their hand held, but managed to avoid overwhelming the new fans in the crowd, the majority of which were likely enjoying their first taste of baseball in person.

What about the games themselves? Over two days we enjoyed:

50 runs.
65 hits.
Over 9 hours of play.

The Red Sox and Yankees scored more runs in the first inning of game one than I had witnessed in all eighteen innings of the two ballgames I had previously attended across the pond.

This famous rivalry is well known for it's lengthy games - a Sox-Yanks battle under two and half hours is widely considered an aberration - but I don't think many of us expected to be treated to this much baseball. The players certainly gave their audience value for money.

Saturday evening's game was played in temperatures well above 30 °C (or 86.0 °F for my American readers), tropical conditions most of us Brits are not accustomed to. The intense heat had not subsided by first pitch, at 6:10pm. I took my friend Sam to the game, as a giant thank you for hosting me in London all weekend, and this was his first experience of baseball, in person or on TV. He thoroughly enjoyed the game and the positive atmosphere, even if we did melt in the direct sunlight for multiple hours, stationed in the right field stands.

I've experienced heat like this before, particularly in New York, but I'm not sure I've ever felt sweatier than I did in my seat at the London Stadium. You know when you just feel wet everywhere? Yeah,that was me and Sam for the first few hours of the game.

Thankfully the bats of the Yankees and Red Sox were just as hot as our faces - the offensive display the players put on for us was incredible to behold.

This was definitely not a night for the pitchers, with both Rick Porcello and Masahiro Tanaka failing to survive the first inning. The bullpens didn't fair much better in fairness, as both the Sox and Yanks' hitters continued their barrage of finding holes in the infield or gaps in the outfield. That, or they just crushed the ball over the fence, much to the crowd's delight.

After the explosive, nearly hour-long first inning ended with the score tied at 6-6, the Yankees put their foot down and stretched their lead to 17-6 after five innings of play. You'd think an 11-run lead would be safe but Boston made a comeback in the sixth and seventh innings, cutting the score to 17-13. With tension restored in a close game, it felt like the Sox might perform a miracle but it wasn't to be, despite the very vocal Red Sox support around us in the outfield. Ultimately, New York emerged victorious, taking game one in impressive style.

First pitch for Sunday's game was 3:10pm and my Yankee-supporting wife was there to accompany me. I picked her up in the morning from Paddington and we made our way to Stratford, and thankfully the temperature was a little more forgiving than the day before.

Amber had already seen her beloved Yankees in their natural habitat on our honeymoon and was understandably excited to see them again, this time on our turf. Her favourite player is Aaron Judge (naturally) and a visit to the London superstore proved to be too much temptation; she quickly became the proud owner of a new Yankees jersey, complete with London Series sleeve patch and JUDGE 99 on the reverse.

Decked out in her new threads (hate or love the Yankees, the pinstripes are iconic), we made our way into the stadium to grab some food and find our seats. Similar to Saturday, I was still in right field but closer to the foul pole, with an unobstructed view that I could have zero complaints about.

Just like Saturday the runs came early and often, with Boston putting on a show for the Sox faithful, thanks to three home runs in the first inning. The fans around us were raucous in their celebration but the Yankees were not deterred and responded by demolishing the Red Sox bullpen in the seventh inning, tagging them for 9 runs to take the lead.

Despite all the chatter about London Stadium's dimensions being perfectly suited for the long ball, the Yankees scored their first 11 runs on Sunday without hitting a home run. That was until Didi Gregorius got us out of our seats to kickstart the eighth inning with an absolute monster over the right field wall. Amber was absolutely beaming as Didi rounded the bases - she was overjoyed to see a Yankees home run in the flesh. She wasn't the only satisfied customer, as I had Gregorius on my fantasy team.

The Red Sox made it interesting in the bottom of the eighth, scoring 4 runs and loading the bases, with the tying run at the plate. Yet again, the Boston fans made themselves heard but alas, the Yankees escaped with their 12-8 lead intact, and held on for the sweep.

As we left the stadium to the sounds of Frank Sinatra spreading the news, I could not deny what an amazing experience this had been. Everybody and everything was positive, I couldn't fault a thing.

For me, the highlight of this trip was not necessarily the games themselves but what they meant to the fans who have been following this sport for a while. The historic visit from the Yankees and Red Sox helped bring the UK baseball community together in celebration - I saw many of us call it a "festival of baseball" and it really was, with thousands of fans proudly wearing the colours of their chosen teams. Everywhere I looked were Red Sox and Yankees of course, but I saw hundreds of Blue Jays, Rays, Mets, Giants and Dodgers, among many others.

Some of us journeyed only a few miles for these games, some much further. Wherever home may be, the occasion gave us the opportunity to connect with each other when we normally wouldn't have.

With that said, I owe a huge amount of thanks to the team at Bat Flips & Nerds, to John, Darius, Ben and Tom. Without their generosity I never would've had the chance to experience the London Series the way I did, and I must give special thanks to Darius and Tom for helping me with arranging tickets. I cannot forget to mention all the other wonderful individuals I spoke to on the #Softball60 nights, all part of the wider UK MLB community which makes us so great.

After game two came to its conclusion, the face of the victorious Yankees, Aaron Judge, was interviewed and said, "We enjoyed it out here. We came in and did what we wanted to do, get a couple of wins and put on a show for the fans."

And what a show it was. We didn't want it to end.

The games may have been long, and the sun and the heat may have drained us, but it did not hinder our enthusiasm. I wanted to be there today for another game, and again tomorrow. I envy our American and Canadian friends who can attend a ballgame every day, every week.

The good news is MLB will return, in 2020 with the Cubs and Cardinals.

I aim to return as well.

I wouldn't miss it.

Women In Baseball Day - May 30th

In honour of this year's Women In Baseball Day, I am highlighting some of the women in my life and their passion for the game.

After many years of following baseball almost completely alone (offline at least), the last few years have seen my enthusiasm for America's national pastime spread to my family and friends. In fact, it has been the women closest to me that have really embraced the sport and become active followers of their chosen teams.

Today I talk to four of these ladies about their teams, their favourite players, and a lot more.

Amber

Amber, let's kick things off with the basics; who's your team and how did you choose them?

My team is the New York Yankees, and I chose them because they're the first team I saw in person (on our honeymoon). I'm a true fan because I stuck with them despite seeing them lose!

They only just lost that day, it was a close one. What was that experience like?

It was a beautiful sunny day and I got swept away in the whole experience, like all the food and singing the seventh-inning stretch. All the fans around us were so friendly as well.

We did have a great time with the Yankees. Who is your favourite player in the Bronx? 

That's a tough one. So, it's between Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius. Didi was the first Yankee I saw hit a home run, but when we were in New York I loved the theatrics and hype surrounding Judge, like the fans wearing robes in the "Judge's Chambers." It has to be Judge for me.

Judge is a dude, it's such a shame he's been hurt this year. What has been your favourite baseball food so far?

Garlic fries! Hands down, they were the best. I had heard about them before I went to San Francisco, that they were a specialty at the Giants' stadium. So I had to get them and they didn't disappoint.

Between New York and San Francisco, which was your favourite stadium?

Despite being a Yankee fan, I loved San Francisco's Oracle Park.

At both games I've been to I was really lucky with the weather, but San Francisco had the amazing panoramic view of the bay, the splash hits counter, and the giant Coca Cola bottle slide. I really liked how people could watch innings for free through the right field fence as well. I just wish adults were allowed down the Coca Cola slide!

We did have an amazing time in San Francisco! Together we've watched quite a few baseball films - what has been your favorite? 

A League of Their Own is my favourite. There are so many famous one-liners from that movie. When we took the tour of Oracle Park, I even saw "There's no crying in baseball!" on one of their walls full of famous baseball quotes. I love how the film focused on the women in baseball and that whole era.

I also really enjoyed The Perfect Catch with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon.

The Perfect Catch is a guilty pleasure, I'll admit. If you played baseball, what position would you play?

First base! I'd like to be the one catching the ball to put everybody out - if I'm in the game, I want to be involved as often as possible. I would also love to hit home runs!

Ellie

Hey Ellie! Who are your team and how did you come to choose them?  

My team is the Los Angeles Dodgers! I chose them mostly for their awesome fireball logo because who wouldn't support a team who can throw balls of fire?!

A great choice, a historic organization too. Do you have a favourite Dodger?

I'm not sure I have a specific favourite player as such but it would probably be Justin Turner. It's likely the orange beard (it really is orange, there is no getting around it) that has ensured he stuck in my mind. But having only followed the Dodgers for just over a year, I remember that he fractured his wrist just before last season began and I feel like that put a downer on their start (which was pretty horrendous...) From what I gather he is a pretty good all-rounder so they really missed him in the beginning there. I was super glad they made a comeback though, given how far behind they were late in the season.

Turner is one of their main guys and a huge part of their success these last few years. After falling short of winning it all the past two years, do you think the Dodgers can finally win the World Series this season?

Hmm, well they have gotten off to a better start this year than 2018, so I think they stand a better chance. Hopefully they have the extra drive this year!

When you finally attend your first game, what do you think will be your favorite food at the stadium?

As a vegetarian I think it is unlikely that veggie hot dogs are on offer in America (which would be my first choice) so I'd have to go with PIZZA SLICE!!!!!!!!!!!

I've subjected you to a number of baseball movies, which one has been your favorite? Are there any you haven't seen yet that you want to?

I think I've enjoyed them all but A League of Their Own is probably my favourite because it has the glorious Tom Hanks (although not in a very glorious role!) and it's an alternative view of baseball. Given baseball is such a male-centric game, it's nice to see women playing and playing really well (albeit in a fantasy plot line). Their uniforms could be a bit less revealing though. Trousers and classic baseball shirts would have been muuuuch cooler.

As for films I haven't seen, I came across one on Amazon Prime that I've yet to try. It's called Mr Baseball and it's got Tom Selleck in it and it's very early 90s, about a baseball player whose career is starting to come to an end and he gets traded to a Japanese team - UMM HELLO?! THIS SOUNDS AMAZING.

Sounds like your perfect movie! Finally, if you played baseball, what position do you think you'd play?

I would be a bench warmer because clearly, I cannot play baseball. In an ideal world though, I'd be a pitcher with a Popeye-strong arm that tears the bat to pieces!

Jasmine

Hi Jasmine, who are your team and why did you choose them?  

Hi Ash, my team are the Toronto Blue Jays. I support them because they are the outsiders. As the first and only team outside the US to appear in and win a World Series, they're the team I proudly follow. I like an unexpected winner and their underdog spirit makes for captivating viewing! While they've been out of the spotlight for a while they seem keen to return to form, and I enjoyed their postseason run in recent years.

Canada's only MLB team - they also have one of the greatest logos on their hats, a good choice! Do you have a favourite player?

Randal Grichuk. A fantastic end to 2018 hints at an even better 2019 (I hope), so it'll be interesting to see how his season goes. He's also really cute, which helps!

What about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - how do the feel about the star rookie?

I was very excited for him to join the team and I think he will do his father proud. I know it's only his first season but he's definitely making his mark already.

When you attend your first game, what sort of food at the ballpark will be on your agenda?

In my mind you can't beat a good hot dog. Timeless, tasty, and fairly easy to eat. That being said I've seen pictures of the glazed donut burgers floating around and I wouldn't mind trying one of those.

Ketchup or mustard on the hot dog?

Both!

Of the baseball movies I've subjected you to so far, what has been your favorite? Are there any you haven't seen yet that you want to?

It's gotta be A League of Their Own. Geena Davies and Tom Hanks in a feminist movie about some of the greatest unsung women of sport? Yes please!

I feel like I should watch Moneyball. In fact, I'm a bit embarrassed I haven't seen such a classic but I promise I will get round to it... eventually.

It's okay, I'll make you watch Moneyball soon enough. Final question: if you played baseball, what position would you want to be?

I think I'd like to play catcher. Calling the shots and bringing the team together sounds like a lot of fun, and a good chance to use some strategy. Whether I'd be any good at it is another question entirely ;)

Libby

Hi Libs, who are your team and how did you come to choose them?

Hi Ash, my team are the Oakland A's. The reason why they're my team is simple: I love an underdog. Plus, I like their style. I really dig the green and yellow combo, and their badass elephant mascot.

Excellent choice, I also love that green and yellow combo. Who is your favourite player on the A's? 

Matt Chapman! Or as Matt (Libby's boyfriend and Brewers fan) and I call him, Chap Mattman, which was taken from a baseball podcast Matt listens to (Absolute Bunts). He's just so good and seems like a really nice guy, which is important, and humble.

Chapman is a great choice, the face of the franchise in Oakland. As a British fan, we don't get to regularly enjoy the ballpark experience like our American cousins. When you go to your first game this year, what food are you targeting? Are you going for the classics like hot dogs, peanuts and crackerjack, or something more modern and exotic?

I love the traditional favourites, but will branch out as we're going to Citi Field, which has more options than I can count. I will probably be up and down a lot to grab everything in sight! Fuku by David Chang is there serving fried chicken, so I definitely have my eye on that.

I'm very jealous of your upcoming trip and all the fried chicken. We've watched a few a baseball films together now, what has been your favorite? 

I'd have to say A League of Their Own, just for sheer quality. But the first one I ever watched was Moneyball which was pretty intriguing. I don't know what cracked me up about Field of Dreams, but I just remember shaking in fits of laughter at a key emotional scene with Jasmine. I blame the sugary popcorn!

Ash's note: For context, both Jasmine and Libby got the giggles during the scene when Ray meets his Father. Most people cry - they laughed ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Final question: if you played baseball, what position would you play?

Okay, I'll be honest here as I'm still learning all the positions, but I would love to be the center fielder, really far away in the field, who manages to throw themselves into the padded wall for an epic catch. That seems pretty fun to me! 

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A huge thank you to Amber, Ellie, Jasmine and Libby for taking the time to speak with me about their teams and love for the game.

Now go and watch A League of Their Own. We all love it.

My First Major League Game

Just over two weeks ago I got married and for our honeymoon we journeyed to New York City. Despite my love for American sports, TV, movies, food and so much more, I had never been to the country before. So this was very much a once-in-a-lifetime trip for us, and naturally I had to fit in a ballgame. I gave my wife the options: Yankees or Mets (I wanted both but marriage is all about compromise). She's not much of a baseball fan so, understandably, she didn't really know who the Mets were, so she opted for the Yankees, "The Evil Empire." In my mind it was the preferred choice, so I was more than happy to book tickets to visit the Bronx.

I know what you're saying but hear me out first; as an Indians fan I'm supposed to hate the Yankees, but as a UK fan who never grew up around their apparently insufferable fanbase, I just don't have that hate for them like I'm supposed to. I'm also a big history nut, and the Yanks have perhaps the most storied history in all of sports, so I knew I was going to enjoy that aspect of our visit.

As we were going to be in the city for the first week of August, the only games the Yankees were playing at home were against the Tigers. We flew into JFK on 31 July, the first game of the series against Detroit, so I booked tickets for the Tuesday night game on 1 August. I had been tempted to get tickets for Wednesday's game, a 1pm contest, but I was very aware that, as pale English honeymooners unaccustomed to the New York City heat in August, we would be better off enjoying the cooler temperatures at night.

On the morning of the game we left our hotel and ventured into town for breakfast and to get familiar with our new surroundings. First pitch wasn't until 7pm but I wanted to get to the stadium early, as I often like to do when I see live sporting events. I like to soak in all the atmosphere, especially if it's my first time visiting a new stadium.

We caught the subway heading north and arrived in the Bronx on the D train around 4pm, and the gates didn't open for another hour. It was absolutely roasting in the sunshine so we hid in the shade, admiring the impressive exterior of Yankee Stadium.

We did a quick lap of the stadium and I paused for a photo outside of Gate 4. Before long we saw the lines start forming to get in at 5pm, so we got in the queue. The unrelenting sun cooked the crowd for close to 45 minutes, so once we got into the stadium the first thing we did was seek out water! We then took a few minutes to cool down before exploring. We also picked up free t-shirts upon entry, XXL white Yankees t-shirts with a giant green Vantelin sponsor on the back. They are so big I could pin them to a mast and sail back to America.

This was the view we were greeted to when we entered through Gate 6. Within minutes of the stadium being open, the right field porch was full of fans hoping to grab a toss-up or batting practice homer. For my first time in a baseball stadium it was quite a sight, that unbelievable green expanse filling my eyes, spreading everywhere I looked. And lots of Aaron Judge jerseys.

One of the things I looked forward to seeing most at Yankee Stadium was Monument Park, home of the most distinguished Yankees in history, so we headed there as soon as we could before it filled up quickly.

We got there pretty fast and it wasn't too busy, which was a bonus. Monument Park was everything I wanted it to be, home to some of the most legendary names in the game. I could have spent hours there.

One of the first plaques I saw that really caught my eye didn't actually belong to a Yankee. Jackie Robinson, the Dodgers legend, had a plaque on the wall that I didn't expect to see so I had to get a photo with it. I wrote my final year university dissertation on the man and his life has been an inspiration to me. I wasn't going to miss out on getting a pic!

We spent as long as possible in Monument Park, soaking in all of that history. We saw and read all of the plaques, including Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter, Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. I paid extra attention to the Joe DiMaggio monument. Of all the Yankee legends, DiMaggio is my favourite, and I have read nearly every book published on him. Its hard to explain my fandom for Joe, especially as he was reportedly a bit of an asshole, but of all the hall of famers from that era, he has resonated with me the most. Maybe it's his 1941 record-setting 56 game hitting streak, or maybe it's because he read Superman comics on roadtrips, I just like the dude so we spent a bit longer with his plaque. After we left Monument Park there is a small little store dedicated to the legends nearby, so I picked up a DiMaggio t-shirt.

We then began making our way to our seats, up, up and up. When I bought the tickets on StubHub months beforehand, it showed you what the view of the field is like, but I still wasn't entirely sure what to expect in reality. I had purchased 2 seats in the first row of section 425, in the infield grandstand overlooking third base. And when we got to our seats, I could not have been happier with the view.

Come on, that's what you call great seats! No obstructions in front of us at all, and for $15 a ticket!

It's safe to say we were pretty happy at this point. A quick comment on the caps of choice: of course I was going to rep the Indians! I saw nearly every team's cap represented at Yankee Stadium that day but I didn't see any other Tribe caps but my own. The wife had previously picked up a Yankees cap the night before, and it was a large part of the baseball experience she had been looking forward to the most, buying a cap for the ballgame and eating hot dogs. If I was forcing her to watch a baseball game on her honeymoon then she wanted the entire American pastime tradition.

Speaking of hot dogs, we decided to grab them before the game started. I didn't want to miss any of the action on the field waiting in line for food. I understand it's a bit of a contentious issue putting ketchup on your hot dog but I'm English, and I'll put ketchup on everything. So yeah, I probably ruined this hot dog in your opinion, but I loved it so whatever.

Soon enough the game got underway. The pitching match-up featured CC Sabathia taking on Anibal Sanchez. It was interesting getting to see Sabathia pitch, as he was one of the first Indians pitchers I learned about when I discovered baseball ten years ago, so it was fun to watch the 2007 AL Cy Young winner. Early in the game the jumbotron highlighted the famous people in the crowd and former New York Knick Amar'e Stoudemire was present. As was Oklahoma City Thunder's Paul George, who funnily enough attended the same showing of The Lion King on Broadway we went to the next day. Paul, if you're reading this (of course you are), we weren't stalking you, I promise.

I'm not going to recap every detail of the game, as it happened over a week ago and despite being an entertaining and closely contested game, a play-by-play list doesn't make for fun reading. Instead I've attached some videos below of moments during the game that really stood out to us:

Sabathia started the game well but ran into trouble in the second inning, getting tagged for a 3-run homer by Detroit's John Hicks. Down 3-0, this amazing play by second baseman Tyler Wade stopped the Tigers from putting together another rally. Dixon Machado hits it straight up the middle and Wade, playing the shift, somehow managed to contort himself in the air to make the play. The wife knew a great play when she saw one and clapped in appreciation with the rest of the stadium.

By this stage Sabathia had given up another home run, a solo-shot to Justin Upton, and things were starting to look bleak for the home side, down 4-0 now. Just prior to Didi Gregorius coming to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, I was telling the wife all about Yankee Stadium's famous short right field porch and how lefty batters can hook home runs into that corner. Up steps Didi who proceeded to do just that! I was really hoping we would get to see a home run in our first game (we saw three) but I was especially hoping we'd see a home run by the Yankees. It's a bit more special when the home team hits one out.

In the next inning Detroit were threatening again but third baseman Todd Frazier channeled his inner Brooks Robinson and made this incredible diving stop on a sharp Justin Upton groundball. The home fans around us were especially sweet on Frazier, a Jersey boy, and all rose in applause and recognition for an outstanding play.

As the game neared its end, the Yankees kept things interesting. The inning before saw Didi collect another RBI, his third of the night, to bring the Yanks within one run but reliever David Robertson had put Tigers on first and second in the top of the ninth. When Detroit right fielder Andrew Romine blooped a single into shallow center field, I thought for sure the game was over and the Yankees would not be able to come back from a multiple run deficit. But Brett Gardner charged in from center field, collected the ball on a single bounce and fired home, nailing the runner at home plate to end the inning. It was an awesome moment to see in person and really energized the crowd. 

Sadly the Yankees were unable to come back in the bottom of the ninth. They made it close, getting runners on second and third, but with two outs Clint Frazier could only pop up and the Tigers emerged victorious, running out 4-3 winners on the night.

The result did nothing to spoil our night however (I'm not a Yankees fan after all, even though I do dislike the Tigers). For my first ever game in the flesh, I enjoyed every minute of it, and saw some absolutely brilliant moments. I was actually surprised how fast the game went by, despite clocking in at 2 hours and 59 minutes. On TV the game feels a lot slower but in person I had no issues with the pace at all, in fact it flew by quite quickly. Even the wife had no issues, and I had previously warned her about it being a slow game. In 2012 I went to one of the Wembley NFL games in person and thought that to be much slower, and was quite bored by the end. Not so with baseball and thankfully the whole experience lived up to my expectations.

With my first live game in the books, I'm eager now to see more and hope I can get back to the States in the future to see another game soon. It'd be especially nice to see my Indians next time...