First MLB Game in England
In 2019, the first-ever MLB game in Europe was played. It was played in England between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on June 29. It also happened to be one of the most fascinating MLB games in history. Here are some interesting facts from the game:
- It lasted 4 hours and 42 minutes - the third longest nine-inning game in MLB history. (There have been over 200,000 nine-inning games in MLB history.) The length of the longest nine-inning game is 4 hours and 45 minutes and was played in 2006 between the - you guessed it - Yankees and Red Sox.
- The teams combined for 30 runs - the second most runs scored between the Red Sox and Yankees. (The teams have played each other over 2,000 times.)
- Both teams each scored six runs in the first inning - the first time that has ever happened in a Red Sox-Yankees game.
- The starting pitchers (Rick Porcello and Masahiro Tanaka) combined to record three outs, the fewest number of combined outs recorded by starting pitchers in a Red-Sox Yankees game.
Tanaka's outing was so bad (six earned runs allowed in 2/3 of an inning) that he allowed twelve earned runs in 3 1/3 innings in his next start against the
Red Sox (on July 25) and his 2019 ERA against the Red Sox went down!
- When Aaron Hick homered in the first inning, he extended the Yankees' MLB record for most consecutive games with a home run to 30. (Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner also hit home runs for the Yankees.)
- Despite combining for 37 hits, neither team committed an error during the game.
- There have been over 200,000 games played in MLB history and
fewer than 15,000 games played in NFL history. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 17-13. The 17-13 final score has happened more frequently in NFL history than in MLB history. It was the first 17-13 game in Red Sox history.
- This was only the fourth time in over 100 years that the Red Sox scored 13 runs and still lost. (They lost 14-13 to the Yankees in 1930, lost 22-13 to the Chicago White Sox in 1970, and lost 14-13 to the Los Angeles Angels in 2012.)
- Michael Chavis hit two 3-run home runs for the losing team!
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the game.
What inspired me to write about the first-ever MLB game in England? Unlike approximately 99.9% of current United States residents, I was born in England.