With past international games, M.L.B. often sent smaller revenue teams because it was easier to reimburse them for the lost gate receipts from giving up home games. But the idea to send the biggest rivals in baseball and two of the most recognizable brands in sports, the Yankees and Red Sox, to make an initial splash in Europe came into focus within the past three years after it received the blessings of the committee, Commissioner Rob Manfred and the rest of the clubs. (The Red Sox gave up two home games in Fenway Park against the Yankees for the London Series.)
“You’ve got to lead with your best,” Levine said.
Next year, the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals, two other fierce, historic rivals, will play at London Stadium. Manfred said on Saturday that he hoped the tradition would continue beyond 2020, and potentially in other European cities. (One issue is finding a suitable stadium since baseball requires a great deal of space.)
“I’d love to come back,” Red Sox center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. said. “I love it here.”
The players had a few suggestions for what should change in the future, including addressing the white seats that made a difficult backdrop for the white baseball. The setting sun also made fly balls challenging to read. The over all conditions, though, led to long games and lots of offense.
“Most fans want to see runs scored in games so I think they should be happy,” Voit said.
Although M.L.B. officials said 70 percent of the tickets were bought within the U.K. and 20 percent in the U.S., fans said the stands felt like a 50-50 split with British and American fans. Some fans said the games were not marketed much around London.
“Where we sat, there were loads of Americans in front of us and behind us,” said Mike Dunn, 33, who hailed from Somerset, England and was new to baseball. “A lot of people here know about the game, so you can turn to people and ask them the rules and stuff.”
Dunn attended Saturday’s game with friends for a bachelor’s party but said he would consider watching more M.L.B. games televised from North America in the future despite the time difference. Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius, who was born in Amsterdam and raised in Curaçao, said soccer-crazy European fans simply need to be exposed to baseball for it to catch on.
“We need to grow the game and get fans everywhere,” Levine said. “Don’t worry about developing players. That’s a long-term thing. But develop fans.”