The bitter and legendary rivalry between the Cardinals and the Cubs, dating back to 1892 and spanning nearly 2,500 matchups, is heading to London in 2023.
Above, London Mayor Sadiq Khan and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred sign their long-term agreement.
The Cardinals and the Cubs will play a two-game series on June 24 and 25, 2023, as part of the MLB London Series at London Stadium, a venue adapted for baseball, announced MLB and the MLB Players Association on Thursday.
The 2023 MLB London Series mark the return of baseball to England, where the Yankees and Red Sox played the first regular-season games in Europe in June 2019. The Cardinals and the Cubs were set to participate in the 2020 MLB London Series, but those games were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
« Sick. Unreal. Honestly, London is on my list of rainy cities, » said Cubs pitcher Marcus Stroman. « It’s one of those cities I’m going to hit when I’m done playing the game. Obviously, I travel a lot. But playing baseball, I don’t necessarily want to go there in November or winter, so I’m glad we’re going in the summer. I have a lot of friends who go to London all the time, and they only have great things to say. Expanding the game to bigger regions is great for MLB. »
The Cardinals and the Cubs, currently engaged in a three-game series at Busch Stadium this week, have both played regular-season international games in the past. St. Louis faced Cincinnati in a two-game series in Monterrey, Mexico, in 2019. As for the Cubs, they opened the 2000 season against the Mets in Tokyo and played the former Montreal Expos in San Juan in a three-game series in 2003.
Today, these two historic franchises are bringing their often-controversial rivalry to England and will play at London Stadium, originally built for the 2012 Summer Olympics and capable of seating around 60,000 for football matches. The stadium, equipped with FieldTurf and featuring dimensions of 330 feet along the lines and 385 feet to center with 16-foot walls, proved particularly hitter-friendly when the Yankees beat the Red Sox 17-13 and 12-8 in 2019. Those games drew crowds of 59,659 and 59,059, respectively, and the stadium is expected to be packed again to see the Cardinals and the Cubs face off for the first time in Europe.
Looking ahead to 2024, London is set to host another two teams, and then it should be France’s turn in 2025, with the Stade de France. But that’s another story.
