MLB London Series 2023: Baseball's bid to grow the game in Europe

It had already been a momentous year for baseball in the United Kingdom.

In March, Great Britain not only played in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time, they did enough to qualify for the next tournament in 2026.

"That was brilliant for us," Ben Ladkin, managing director of MLB Europe, told BBC Sport.

"It launched us into the season. We couldn't have scripted it any better."

Over two days last weekend, more than 110,000 fans turned out to watch Major League Baseball's second London Series.

Now MLB Europe is looking to keep that momentum going, an opportunity it was denied after the first London Series in 2019.

Paris series in 'planning stages'

The Covid-19 pandemic meant that the Chicago Cubs and St Louis Cardinals had to put their scheduled visit in 2020 on hold.

The Midwest rivals finally made it to London, with Chicago winning 9-1 on Saturday and St Louis 7-5 on Sunday, in front of the biggest MLB crowds this season - 54,662 and 55,565.

Cubs manager David Ross said the atmosphere "was amazing" and that "it's been a really nice experience - the city, the people, the way it's been run, the amenities we've had. It's been first class."

Cardinals pitcher Jake Woodford said: "It was a great experience. After the game we all appreciated it was a really cool opportunity."

Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar added: "For a lot of us, it's our first time in Europe.

"Obviously baseball isn't the main sport in Europe so to have a big crowd like that and to get them that excited, it's huge. Any time you come out here and try to grow the game, it's big."

The next time will be next summer. MLB had already agreed to return to London in 2024 and 2026, and on Friday it confirmed that the New York Mets will face the Philadelphia Phillies on 8 and 9 June next year.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred also said the league is "in the planning stages" for a Paris series in 2025.

'That amazing ballpark atmosphere'

Players from Cambridge Baseball Club enjoying the ballpark atmosphere outside London Stadium, especially the American cuisine

Manfred said that since the 2019 series "the number of people in Britain that identify as fans has doubled".

MLB Europe's Ben Ladkin added that its social media following has grown by 200% since the first London Series, when the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox.

Last weekend's attendances were actually slightly down on 2019 but Ladkin stressed "it's not just about this weekend", with events being staged outside London.

"We were blessed with great weather, both in 2019 and this series, and it makes everything a lot easier," he said.

"It was the perfect opportunity to give people in London, the UK and Europe the chance to experience that amazing ballpark atmosphere of sitting in the stadium, or ballpark, on a nice summer's day, watching some sport and enjoying all the entertainment.

"The growing fan and playing community that we've got here are massively appreciative of that ability to come and see two Major League Baseball teams playing in their back garden.

"But we've been doing stuff all week. We're doing a lot more outside of the games."

What else is MLB doing in UK?

Trafalgar Square looked very different last weekend, with a huge batting cage in front of Nelson's Column

Trafalgar Square was transformed to host a free baseball festival from Friday to Sunday, with thousands attending, and schoolchildren from around the UK visited London Stadium over the weekend, for workout day on Friday as well as the games.

Pupils from Ranelagh Primary School were part of proceedings throughout both games, with MLB having announced it will donate $25,000 (£19,700) to build a permanent baseball diamond for the school, which is less than two miles from London Stadium, and the Stratford community.

MLB has also launched a legacy programme to boost amateur and junior participation in baseball and softball.

Last week, events were staged in Sheffield and Cardiff, and the programme hopes to reach 10,000 primary schoolchildren this year.

A development tournament was also staged at Farnham Park in Slough, home of the UK's only purpose-built baseball and softball facility, with the best 90 prospects from around Europe playing in front of MLB scouts.

"We're at the start of a process here," said Ladkin. "We tried to start it in 2019 and unfortunately got held up in our tracks.

"We're in a really good position now to keep that momentum going. It's going to be interesting to see how that grows, especially knowing that the games are coming back in 2024 and 2026."

• World Baseball Classic: GB qualification for 2026 'a huge step forward'

Inspiring the next generation

Willson Contreras signed autographs for fans at London Stadium

London Stadium underwent an 18-day transformation to become a ballpark for the weekend.

The five-day process to return West Ham United's home to its normal state began before the sun had set on Sunday, but the clubhouses that were constructed will remain a permanent fixture and feature on stadium tours.

Baseball is laying down roots in London, and UK youngsters are seeing that it's not just a fun spectator sport. They can take part too.

This weekend the London Mets secured a spot at next year's Baseball European Federation Cup and Great Britain's successful WBC team was introduced to the crowd on Saturday.

Highlights of their success in the United States were shown on the big screen and young fans then had the chance to emulate them in the batting cages and pitching tunnels around London Stadium.

St Louis' Nootbaar hopes their interest doesn't end there.

"Hopefully they leave today and it inspires some kids to buy a glove or bat and go in their back yard and just play," he said.

• The shocking impact of commercial whaling: Top-secret Soviet whaling reports record the unimaginable number of whales killed

• Why did Jimmy Carr start his career all over again?: He reveals it all to Steven Bartlett in The Diary of a CEO