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.
