Red Sox vs Yankees: MLB announces start times for London games
By Sean Penney
Major League Baseball has announced the start times for the two games between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in London next summer.
The Boston Red Sox will take their rivalry with the New York Yankees across the pond to London next summer. We’ve known for months about this historic series marking the first MLB games played in Europe but now more details have emerged with MLB revealing the start times each game.
The two-game weekend series will take place in London’s Olympic Stadium
Game 1
Date: Saturday, June 29, 2019
First Pitch: 1:10 p.m. ET
TV Station: FOX
Broadcast Crew: Joe Buck, John Smoltz, and Ken Rosenthal
Game 2
Date: Sunday, June 30, 2019
First Pitch: 10:10 a.m. ET
TV Station: ESPN
Broadcast Crew: Matt Vasgersian, Alex Rodriguez, Jessica Mendoza, and Buster Olney
The start times are a bit unusual from what we’re accustomed to and it’s not only due to the obvious time zone differences. London is five hours ahead of Boston, so ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball team will be calling a game that begins at 3:10 p.m. local time.
ESPN made the decision to move their regular broadcast on Sunday nights to 7:00 p.m. ET for most weeks, with one notable exception being a Red Sox vs Yankees game in September that remains in the old 8:00 p.m. time slot. It’s understandable why MLB wants the games earlier to attract a younger crowd but at least the majority of the game is still played during peak TV viewing hours. The games in London aren’t considered a primetime event?
Massive crowds should be expected for Europe’s first taste of live MLB action. Olympic Stadium has an estimated capacity of 57,000, which is larger than any major league ballpark. Yankee Stadium holds approximately 54,000 fans while Fenway Park has a capacity of under 38,000.
More from Red Sox News
- Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
- Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
- Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
- Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
- Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure
The London games are MLB’s latest attempt to expand their international fan base. Mexico, Japan, Puerto Rico, and Austalia have all hosted major league games. Baseball is far more popular in those areas of the world than it is throughout most of Europe. Each of those countries participated in the most recent World Baseball Classic. England was not involved, while Italy and the Netherlands were the only European countries that were.
This is MLB’s chance to captivate more of a European audience. It’s worked wonders for the NFL, which is now hosting multiple games each season in London. If England’s fans can get pumped up about watching the Jacksonville Jaguars, imagine how excited they will be to witness the heated rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees! The earlier start times may have been set in an effort to attract as many live fans as possible with TV ratings in that time slot being less of a concern.
Next. BoSox Injection mailbag. dark
As for fans watching from home in Boston or New York, make note of the morning and early afternoon start times. We’re getting a pair of day baseball games, or at least it will be daytime for us.