General view at the pitch during an unveiling of the London Stadium in London, on June 27, 2019.
Frank Augstein / AP Photo
The Philadelphia Phillies to face the Mets in London in 2024
The first MLB series in the British capital — and in Europe — featured the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 2019.
By Ken Maguire/The Associated Press
Frank Augstein / AP Photo
General view at the pitch during an unveiling of the London Stadium in London, on June 27, 2019.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies will play a two-game series in London next season as MLB takes another rivalry abroad.
League commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the June 8-9 games at London Stadium on Friday, ahead of this weekend’s series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.
“We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show the fans here in London the very best form of baseball,” Manfred said.
The first MLB series in the British capital — and in Europe — featured the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in 2019.
“We want to show our best when we come someplace special like London. We do regard London to be special — of strategic importance to us,” Manfred said.
Philadelphia Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins celebrates his home run during the fifth inning in Game 3 of baseball’s World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Chris Szagola)
The Mets-Phillies series had been widely reported earlier, though league officials held off on an announcement until the eve of the Cardinals-Cubs series.
Manfred spoke at a news conference Friday before Cardinals and Cubs players worked out on the artificial turf at the home of Premier League soccer club West Ham.
The Yankees are lobbying to play in Paris in 2025. The league hasn’t confirmed the French capital yet, but the players’ association signed off on MLB holding a game in Paris in 2025 as part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement.
“We are in the process of working on Paris in 2025,” Manfred said in response to a question from a French journalist. “We’re not at the point where we’re going to make a commitment or make a formal announcement but it is in the planning stages and was part of the general program that was laid out in the basic agreement.”
