Major League Baseball arrived in London for the first time since 2019. The first MLB London Series occurred in June 2019 when the New York Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in an exciting two-game series.
The American game captivated European fans, which fueled the league’s effort to grow its European fanbase. The plan was for the Cubs and Cardinals to do the same thing the following year, but the pandemic put a wrench in these plans. Finally, after a three-year wait, the Chicago Cubs took on the St. Louis Cardinals in a two-game series on June 24-25 at London Stadium.
The Cubs started off their British showcase strong, winning their first game 9-1. Left-handed pitcher Justin Steele pitched six strong innings, not allowing a single hit over the first five innings. Steele ended the day allowing only five hits, one run, one BB (base on balls), and eight strikeouts.
The Cubs’ offense backed up their pitcher to get their first ever victory in London. Ian Happ launched a solo home run to give the Cubs an early lead, and he cranked another one in the third inning to fuel the Cubs. The bottom of the order also did some damage.
Christopher Morel went 3 for 4 with an RBI (Run batted in) and run, Yan Gomes went 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Nick Madrigal went 2 for 4 with a double, RBI and run. Dansby Swanson added a two-run shot in the ninth and ended the game 9-1.
The next day was a whole different ball game. The Cardinals started off weak, handing the Cubs a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning after committing two errors. With the bases loaded an inning later, Tommy Edman of the Cardinals grounded to second, but Hoerner’s underhand throw was bobbled by Cubs first baseman Trey Mancini. Contreras then scored, putting a point on the board for the Cardinals.
The second inning only went up for the Cardinals. Brendan Donovan hit a two-run single to right field, scoring Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker. The Cardinals came back fighting from their 4-0 deficit and ended the second inning 4-3, bringing the entire crowd to their feet.
During the bottom of the third, the Cardinals pulled out one more run on Walker’s single that scored Lars Nootbar. Paul Goldschmidt gave the Cardinals the lead with a single to score Tommy Edman.
Stroman was taken out of the game and was relieved by Michael Fulmer. Fulmer faced Noobar, whose sacrifice fly scored Donovan for a 6-4 lead. Although they started off rocky, the Cardinals came back and jumped on the Cubs to put some crooked numbers on the board.
To capture their first win over the pond, the Cardinals put up a final run in the fifth to win 7-5 against their rivals.
Both teams ended the European weekend with one win, and they’ll continue their season back in the States this week.
Share This Post On
0 comments
Leave a comment
You need to login to leave a comment. Log-in