Get the London look! MLB shows off its makeover of West Ham’s stadium as the Cardinals and Cubs gear up for the overseas series TODAY… with F1 stars even getting batting practice
- Drone footage showed the transformation the London Stadium underwent
- McLaren’s Zak Brown, Lando Norris, and Oscar Piastri took batting practice
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
As Major League Baseball’s London Series approaches, the league gave an insight into the massive transformation undertaken by the London Stadium.
The home of West Ham United has turned into its own version of a ballpark as seen in drone footage published by MLB Europe.
Inside the building, the locker rooms have been transformed into the colors of the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals while outside, the foul poles, bullpen, and base paths have all been set up.
It’s an amazing transformation from when Mail Sport took a visit earlier this month while preparations were still underway.
There have been a few changes from the last London Series games that took place four years ago between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.
The London Stadium has been transformed into a ballpark ahead of MLB’s London Series
The Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals will add a new chapter to their rivalry
Most notably, the center field wall has been pushed back after the two teams combined for 10 home runs when they last visited in 2019.
The big question is whether fans in the British capital will see more slugfests. New York beat Boston 17-13 and 12-8 in 2019 over 18 innings that took just over 9 hours.
‘No one knows what to expect,’ Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt said. ‘Nobody was expecting the ball to fly like it did in ´19 and we don´t know if that´s going to happen again.
‘If it does, the games could be long. But that was a while ago and a lot of things have changed, whether it’s with the stadium or the baseballs. It’s a big question mark.’
Cardinals scheduled starter Adam Wainwright – the Cubs are countering with Justin Steele – remembers being startled when the first Yankees-Red Sox game was 6-6 after one inning.
‘Certainly it seems like maybe keeping the ball on the ground might be a good idea,’ said Wainwright.
Though even on the ground – artificial turf imported from Montreal – might be trouble.
Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner noted: ‘The ball is flying in BP, for sure, and the turf is fast and bouncy.’
Stars of Formula One even took batting practice Friday – including McLaren’s Lando Norris
McLaren CEO Zak Brown, a lifelong St. Louis Cardinals fan, took some swings with his drivers
But while both teams are focused on chasing down the NL Central leading Cincinnati Reds, there’s still an air of spectacle surrounding this event.
In a reverse of what has been seen at Formula One races in the United States – where American athletes take in the grand prix – major players at McLaren took a visit to the London Stadium.
McLaren CEO Zak Brown brought along drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to take batting practice.
‘Lando was smacking it pretty good,’ said Brown, an American who was born in Los Angeles but identifies as a longtime Cardinals fan.
