London, England

London is the capital and largest city of the United Kingdom. It is located on the Thames River, in south-western England.

London was one of the stops on Al Spalding's world tour of the Chicago White Stockings in the 1888-89 off-season. A game was played in front of the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VII, at the Kennington Oval cricket ground

Major League Baseball played a two-game series in London on June 29-30, 2019. The games featured the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox and were the first regular season major league games ever to be played in Europe. The London Olympic Stadium, erected for the 2012 Olympic Games, was the venue selected for the event, as the presence of a 400-foot running track made the field large enough to be adapted to a baseball configuration, contrary to other stadiums built specifically for soccer, liker the mythic Wembley Stadium. The experience was scheduled to be repeated on June 13-14, 2020, with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals crossing the big pond, but the series was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, eventually taking place in 2023.

In 2022, MLB announced that it had reached a long-term partnership with the city of London, that would see major league games being played there in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

People born here

• Ben Andrews, Bundesliga infielder
• Peter Arthur, minor league pitcher
• John Beaven, minor league pitcher
• Alan Bloomfield, Great Britain national team player
• Richard Brereton, Great Britain national team outfielder-pitcher
• Liam Carroll, Great Britain national team infielder
• Josh Chetwynd, minor league catcher
• Bobby Clack, outfielder
• Jonathan Cramman, Great Britain national team infielder
• Gunnar Groen, minor league pitcher
• Darren Heath, minor league outfielder
• Laura Hirai, Great Britain women's national team infielder
• Paul Kirkpatrick, Hoofdklasse pitcher
• Matt Koperniak, minor league outfielder
• Al Lawson, pitcher
• Billy Palmer, pitcher
• Charlie Puckett, Australian Hall of Fame player
• Al Reach, outfielder and manager
• Chris Reed, pitcher
• Abe Saperstein, owner
• Will Savage, minor league infielder
• Klondike Smith, outfielder
• Matteo Sollecito, Great Britain national team pitcher
• Tom Stack-Babich, minor league outfielder
• Zach Stroman, Great Britain national team infielder-outfielder
• Sam Wiley, minor league catcher

People who died here

• J. Ogden Armour, owner
• Aaron Burt Champion, executive
• RG Knowles, British baseball pioneer
• William Morgan, researcher

Educational establishments located here

• Dulwich College
• Imperial College London
• Isleworth Grammar School
• London School of Economics
• University College London

Further Reading

• Jordan Bastian: "Cubs are back in London -- for first time since 1880s", mlb.com, June 22, 2023. [1]
• Josh Chetwynd and Brian A. Belton: British Baseball and the West Ham Club: History of a 1930s Professional Team in East London, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2007.
• Bryan Hoch: "Yanks, Red Sox will take rivalry to London in '19: MLB's first regular-season game in Europe will take place next June 29-30", mlb.com, May 8, 2018. [2]
• Jim Leeke: Nine Innings for the King: The Day Wartime London Stopped for Baseball, July 4, 1918, McFarland, Jefferson, NC, 2015. ISBN 978-0-7864-7870-5
• Jon Paul Morosi: "Baseball returns to its origins in London Series: Red Sox-Yankees rivalry travels overseas for first regular-season games in Europe", mlb.com, June 23, 2019. [3]
• Brian Murphy: "MLB, London announce long-term partnership", mlb.com, May 9, 2022. [4]
• Bob Nightengale: "The games were ridiculous, but MLB's London Series was a huge success", USA Today, June 30, 2019. [5]
• Todd Zolecki: "2024 London Series will feature NL East rivalry in Mets-Phils", mlb.com, June 23, 2023. [6]