By Alfredo Echenique Lugo
07 Jun 2024, 21:40 PM EDT
This Saturday the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies begin the London Series in the English capital. The teams of the Eastern Division will compete in two games at the London Olympic Stadium, which has been prepared for baseball practice.
In a press conference prior to the match, one of the Mets stars, Pete Alonso, revealed some of his interests outside of his sport. And he got a little into football, the most practiced and followed sport in England.
Even Alonso had a wink with the London fans. He then revealed that one of his favorite footballers is Didier Drogba, the former striker of the Chelsea FC team from the British capital.
“I know some things about football. One of the players I like the most is Didier Drogba who played for Chelsea,” explained the Mets first baseman.
“He was an electrifying player. Without a doubt he was one of my favorite players to watch,” emphasized the 29-year-old player who will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Alonso also commented on rugby, the second most popular sport in England after soccer, and stated that he finds it “entertaining to watch.”
For some years now, the MLB has been seeking to expand the Major Leagues around the world. To try to spark interest in countries where baseball is not as popular.
In the case of London, it hosted an MLB series in 2023 and will have at least two games per season in 2025 and 2026 as well.
This is how the London Olympic was modified to host the MLB
Since it is not such a popular sport in England, the country does not have an adequate venue for playing a Major League match.
That is why for this opportunity the Mets and the Phillies will play on what is originally a football field.
However, the MLB made the corresponding modifications so that the London Olympic Stadium, home of West Ham United, looked as similar as possible to a baseball diamond and the result was simply impeccable.
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