New York Mets to play Philadelphia Phillies in London in 2024
LONDON — The New York Mets will play the Philadelphia Phillies in a two-game series in London next year as MLB takes another rivalry abroad.
Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed the June 8-9 games at London Stadium on Friday, ahead of this weekend's series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs.
"We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing and we want to show the fans here in London the very best form of baseball," Manfred said.
Hey London – we’ll see you next year!
— MLB (@MLB) June 23, 2023
The @Mets and @Phillies will take part in the 2024 #LondonSeries on June 8 and 9. pic.twitter.com/xTipiCtKMm
The first MLB series in the British capital — and in Europe — featured the Yankees and Red Sox in 2019.
"We want to show our best when we come someplace special like London. We do regard London to be special — of strategic importance to us," Manfred said.
The Mets-Phillies series had been widely reported earlier, though league officials held off on an announcement until the eve of the Cardinals-Cubs series.
London’s calling!
— New York Mets (@Mets) June 23, 2023
We’re headed across the pond to take on Philadelphia, June 8-9, 2024.https://t.co/f9tOcMDMva
Manfred spoke at a news conference Friday before Cardinals and Cubs players worked out on the artificial turf at the home of Premier League soccer club West Ham.
The Yankees are lobbying to play in Paris in 2025. The league hasn't confirmed the French capital yet, but the players' association signed off on MLB holding a game in Paris in 2025 as part of last year's collective bargaining agreement.
"We are in the process of working on Paris in 2025," Manfred said in response to a question from a French journalist. "We're not at the point where we're going to make a commitment or make a formal announcement but it is in the planning stages and was part of the general program that was laid out in the basic agreement."