Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper has urged Major League Baseball to make the London Series a four-team round-robin event in several cities across the UK, as the two-time MVP takes prepares to offer a show in the capital.
Harper’s Phillies will play the fierce rival New York Mets in a two-game series at West Ham United’s London stadium this weekend, the third time baseball has come to the English capital.
The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox played the first two MLB games in Europe in 2019, before the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals arrived in London last summer after their planned series for 2020 was canceled due to Covid.
Harper, 31, has been one of the most influential players in sports for more than a decade, having been crowned ‘The One’ and ‘the most exciting prodigy since LeBron James’ on the cover of Sports Illustrated when he was just 16. years.
As a rare example of a player who lived up to such expectations, he won the National League MVP award in 2015 and 2021, was a seven-time All-Star and received a 13-year, $330 million (£262 million) contract. of Philadelphia in 2019. , their demands will carry significant weight.
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper wants to see London series expanded
Harper and his team will play the New York Mets twice in London over the next weekend.
“We’re excited as a team to get there and play in front of different fans,” Harper said. “They obviously love their football and being able to go to a different country and play in front of a new fan base will be a really fun time for us and for them.”
“I would like Major League Baseball to bring four teams there, make it a round robin and stay there for a week and a half or two weeks, just so they can come together.”
Adding games to the London Series could be more convenient for players, who have just 23 days off during six months of games and would use three to travel to and from the UK, including one day off.
“It’s so quick to get in and out that it would be fun to go around the country a little bit and take the trains to different places.” “I think it would be a lot of fun,” Harper said.
‘My wife and I went to the UK a couple of years ago and we enjoyed it. “My sister-in-law is from Manchester so we are going to enjoy it with her too and we are excited.”
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between MLB and its players union extends through 2026, with provisions for another two-game London Series that year. Plans for a series in Paris next summer at the Stade de France have been shelved, but additional or expanded series cannot be incorporated until the new collective agreement comes into force in 2027.
The NFL offers an expansion model, having hosted one game a year in London between 2007 and 2012 before growing, peaking at four in 2019 before returning to three since the pandemic, at Wembley and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Jacksonville Jaguars opened up the possibility for American teams to make extended stays in London, becoming the first NFL team to play consecutive games in the United Kingdom last October and spend 10 days in London.
Harper said he would like to play other games in England, outside of London.
Harper had the support of his head coach Rob Thomson, a newcomer to the top job at age 59 in 2022 and who led the Phillies to the second-best record in baseball this season (44 wins, 19 losses) heading into their weekend in London.
When asked about baseball’s travels across the pond, Thomson said, “I hope it lasts forever.” This is a great experience for everyone. By growing the sport around the world, if we can have competitive baseball in every country in the world, the sport will only be better.
“This is a great facility and it seems like the people of Britain have really liked it and come out ahead.”
But fulfilling Harper’s wish to find stadiums outside of London big enough to host baseball may be difficult. The London stadium can accommodate large dimensions thanks to movable seats and a large surface area outside the football field due to the athletics track of the 2012 Olympic Games.
London Series organizers evaluated the Oval cricket ground before finally choosing the Olympic site.
The New York Mets play the Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8-9 at London Stadium. Tickets on sale at ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB
