PHILADELPHIA – The Phillies and Mets will take on London.
Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association announced on Friday that both teams will play a two-game series at London Stadium on June 8-9, 2024. It will be the third presentation of major league games in 2019 with the Red Sox and Yankees and this weekend with the Cubs and Cardinals.
“We believe our game shines best when traditional opponents play, and we want to teach the fans in London the best form of baseball,” said commissioner Rob Manfred of the clashes.
It was the first time the Phillies had played outside of the continental United States. For the Mets, this will be the fourth time since New York played in Mexico in 1996, Japan in 2000 and Puerto Rico in 2010.
“Alex and I are excited that the Mets will be playing in the MLB 2024 London Series,” team owner Steve Cohen said, referring to his wife. “Baseball is growing in interest around the world, and it’s a huge honor to bring that ‘never say die’ attitude to London. Our Queens family is ready to entertain London with exciting baseball and incredible experiences that grow new fans and build the Mets community across the UK.”
“Major League Baseball has done a great job of expanding its footprint internationally, and we are proud to contribute to that effort as part of the 2024 London Series,” Phillies majority owner and CEO John Middleton said in a statement. “This will be a great opportunity to showcase the talents of our players and heighten the excitement that comes with a Phillies-Mets matchup for our fans in England and those who have never been to a baseball game before.”
The London Series is part of the MLB World Tour, created to bring Major League Baseball teams and their players to a global fan base. It is the largest international program for MLB and the MLB Players Association, with 24 regular season games and 16 exhibition games in Asia, Europe, Mexico and other parts of Latin America through the end of the 2026 season.
“For us, London is a very important part of our international strategy,” Manfred said. We’ve seen a lot of growth in baseball since we (first) got here in 2019. The number of people identifying as baseball fans has doubled since 2019. We are going to do this part of our project. Regular and we look forward to it. To come back next year.”
