Major League Baseball is coming to the UK this June for the first time ever. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will play two games at London Stadium. The Yankees-Sox match-up in London is sure to be epic. It’s a perfect day out for kids and families, or sports fans of all ages. Are you in? Here’s how to see the big baseball game in London this June.
the yankees and the red sox have games in London
Major League Baseball lands in the UK. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, the parties in one of the most heated rivalries in American professional sports, will meet for a two-game series in London this June. The teams will square off at London Stadium, the home of the 2012 Olympic Games, on June 29-30, 2019.
And it’s definitely a Thing, dear reader. Ticket seller StubHub reported earlier this spring that this series has been the best-seller of the 2019 regular season.
Stub Hub reports that as of a few weeks ago, fans from 44 different states in the U.S. and 27 different countries had already purchased tickets.
Get ready, London – the colonists are coming.
Baseball fever comes to London this June
Why all the fuss?
Why is this such a big deal, you ask? Well, while the NBA and NFL have hosted games in London a couple of times each season for the past few years, this is the first Major League Baseball game ever to be played in the UK.
MLB has held several of its season openers at the Tokyo Dome. Now, baseball is heading to Europe for the first time. And to mark the historic occasion, it is sending two of its most storied franchises.
The current World Champions, the Boston Red Sox, will meet the fearsome New York Yankees.
The Major League Baseball London Series will be the first time the two clubs have met during the regular season in a city that was not New York or Boston. The Red Sox will serve as the “home” team for both games.
Alex Rodriguez at London Stadium promoting the major league baseball game June 2019. Courtesy Photo.
The series next month is part of a two-year commitment by Major League Baseball to play in London. The teams for the 2020 games are still to be determined.
Former Yankees player Alex Rodriguez traveled to London to promote the game – and more importantly, the sport. The hope is that fans in Europe will embrace baseball the way have other sports, expanding the global audience for Major League Baseball.
why choose the Sox and the Yanks?
The intense and historic rivalry between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox will ensure that fans in London will see two hard-fought games. Yankees management noted: “This rivalry is well over a century in the making, 119 years if my math is correct, and over 2,000 games.”
The Boston Red Sox – New York Yankees rivalry is intense
Boston coach Alex Cora promises: “they are going to have a taste of the rivalry over there in London.” Note to Red Sox fans: as of a few weeks ago, Yanks fans were out-pacing Sox fans in ticket purchases by 18 percent.
Both teams have a roster of great young players – although, sadly, the Yankees have been plagued by injuries this season. As of this posting, the Yanks are half a game behind the leader in the American League East, the Tampa Bay Rays. After a shaky start, the Red Sox are currently 5 games back.
Needless to say, both teams will be hungry for a win when the London Series rolls around.
How to See the Big Baseball Game in London this June
what is London Stadium?
London Stadium is at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford district of London. It was constructed for the 2012 Summer Olympics and 2012 Summer Paralympics. The stadium served as the venue for track and field. It was also the site of the iconic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, at which the Queen herself made an appearance.
Currently, London Stadium is home to Premier League soccer team West Ham United. The demand has been so great for the big baseball game in June that event planners found a way to increase the stadium’s capacity from 55,000 to around 57,500.
The Olympics Stadium in Stratford, East London
Are tickets still available?
If you’re hoping to be in stadium for this iconic series, it’s going to cost you. As of this posting, the Sunday game was sold out on Ticketmaster. There were still a couple of great seats available for Saturday. You can check the status here.
Otherwise, it’ll take a trusted ticket broker or a well-connected hotel concierge to get you in. Expect to pay well above the face value of the ticket either way. But you already know that – you snooze, you lose when it comes to tickets to big games like these.
Where to watch in London if you cannot attend the game live
The good news is that even if you can’t get tickets to the games, you can still be part of it all. Here’s how to see the big baseball game in London even if you’re not in the stands.
UK broadcasters BT Sport and the BBC will be streaming live coverage of the London Series. The BBC Sport stream will be free-to-air. So if you want to watch it in the privacy of your home or hotel room, you can.
But why not get out and join the crowd? There will be lots of pubs and bars all over London where you can watch the games.
You can get in on the fun, even if you’re not a baseball fan
Even if you have no interest in baseball, you can still embrace the spirit of this Transatlantic partnership if you’re in London that weekend. Our friends at the Beaumont in Mayfair are getting in on the fun with a special menu at the Colony Grill Room restaurant.
In addition to the regular a la carte menu at the restaurant, the chef will be serving several items in honor of the Boston Red Sox. The limited-time-only specials will include New England clam chowder; soft-shell steamers; lobster rolls; Boston baked beans; Parker House scrod; and fried clams. No word yet on whether or not the clams will have the bellies or not.
And for dessert? Of course there will be Boston Cream Pie. Also cannolis and house-made Fig Newtons.
The Colony Grill Room at the Beaumont Hotel in London celebrates the Boston Red Sox this June. Photo Courtesy The Beaumont Mayfair.
We are so all in on that.
Why so one-sided, you ask? Why no Manhattan Clam Chowder, no New York bagels with a schmear? What about the Nathan’s hot dogs and the pastrami sandwiches?
Because Jimmy Beaumont, the hotel’s namesake and guiding spirit, was a baseball player when he was at Yale. As a New Englander, Jimmy’s allegiance was always to Red Sox Nation, even though he eventually end up living in the Yankees’ home town. Bet that led to a few rounds of fisticuffs through the years. As previously noted – it’s an old, fierce rivalry.
So if you’re planning to be in London in late June, it’s not too late to catch baseball fever for a couple of days. Major League Baseball is coming to the UK. And now you know how to see the big baseball game in London.
We’re not going to tell you for whom we’re rooting, because we don’t want to start a flame war. We’ll just say: may the best team win.
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