Best moments from London Series Game 1
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For the first time in four years, and for the second time ever, the MLB London Series is back. The international showcase opened Saturday, this time between the Cardinals and Cubs.
The Cubs rode a strong outing from Justin Steele and two homers by Ian Happ to a 9-1 victory in Game 1. ESPN will carry Sunday's contest at 10 a.m. ET.
Here are the top game highlights and sights & sounds from an exhilarating day at London Stadium:
1. A mighty strong (c)Happ! Cubs star belts two homers
The Cubs' Ian Happ opened the scoring by smashing a home run to dead-center field off Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright leading off the second inning.
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He followed that up by blasting another solo homer to right field in his next at-bat.
Happ now has six career homers off Wainwright, the most by an opposing hitter against the 41-year-old. He entered the game hitting .344 with a 1.195 OPS in 34 plate appearances against Wainwright.
2. Steele continues breakout season with 6 strong innings
Cubs starter Justin Steele showed his mettle on the international stage, allowing just one run on five hits with eight strikeouts over six innings before being replaced by reliever Julian Merryweather to begin the bottom of the seventh.
The left-hander held the Cards hitless over the first four innings and kept them off the board until Paul Goldschmidt’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth. Trailing 7-1, St. Louis had two on and nobody out in the frame, but Steele worked out of the jam, striking out Willson Contreras, Jordan Walker and Dylan Carlson to end the threat.
He lowered his ERA to 2.62, the third-lowest in the NL behind teammate Marcus Stroman and the Braves’ Bryce Elder.
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3. Cubs chase Waino early with 2-out magic
The Cubs sent Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright to an early exit, collecting 11 hits and seven runs off the right-hander in three-plus innings. Eight of Chicago’s hits off Wainwright came with two outs, including five straight starting with Ian Happ’s homer to right field -- his second dinger of the game -- in the top of the third as the Cubs opened up a 5-0 lead.
The last time Wainwright allowed as many as 11 hits in an outing was Sept. 28, 2019, also against the Cubs.
Dansby Swanson added a two-out, two-run homer in the top of the ninth, putting an exclamation point on Chicago’s 9-1 win.
The Cubs’ nine two-out hits established a new season high for Chicago. The last time the club had as many as nine two-out hits in a game was Sept. 11, 2022, against the Giants.
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4. Swanson offers swan song for Game 1
Having a strong first season for the Cubs, Dansby Swanson connected on a two-run homer in the top of the ninth to pad his team's lead to 9-1. Swanson's homer was Chicago's third of the game, following a pair by Ian Happ.
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5. Goldy makes history
Call him “Mr. Worldwide.” With the London Series underway, Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt became the first player in MLB history to play a regular-season game in five different countries (USA, Australia, Canada, Mexico, England).
According to the Elias Sports Bureau, there have also been four NBA players and 15 NHL players to suit up in five countries. (Note: Games in Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, are not counted separately here.)
"I never thought I'd even play in one country in the big leagues, so to play in five is pretty amazing," Goldschmidt said during the broadcast.
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6. Walker ends no-hit bid, extends streak
The Cardinals were held without a hit against Cubs starter Justin Steele until rookie star Jordan Walker led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left field.
The knock extended Walker’s hitting streak to 14 games, the longest by a Cardinals player 21 years old or younger since Albert Pujols had a 17-gamer in 2001.
Walker, who also had a hit in each of his first 12 career games earlier his season, is now batting .301 with six homers and an .840 OPS on the year.
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7. Make room, Presidents Race -- the King is here
Between innings, there was a mascot race that seems as though it's becoming a tradition. We're pretty familiar with the Nationals' presidential mascot race in Washington, but have you ever seen the King of England cross the finish line first during a Major League game? That's exactly what happened when King Henry VIII edged out Winston Churchill at London Stadium.
8. The stars were out in London
A host of former players turned broadcasters, Cubs and Cardinals legends, MLB alumni ambassadors and MLB staff gathered prior to Saturday's London Series opener. They included Hall of Famers Derek Jeter and David Ortiz, plus All-Stars Albert Pujols, Adam Jones, Raul Ibanez, Alex Rodriguez and a trio of Phillies legends and World Series champions -- Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins.
In this photo there are a combined 77 All-Star selections, 15 World Series rings, 11 Hank Aaron Awards, eight Most Valuable Player Awards and four Roberto Clemente Awards.
9. Bill Murray in the house
To no one's surprise, one of the world's most famous Cubs fans -- renowned comedian and actor Bill Murray -- made the trip across the pond to watch Chicago take on its biggest rival.
Murray received a warm reception from the crowd at London Stadium when he was shown on the video board during the Cubs' 9-1 win.
10. Good times in London
If you're attending a ballgame, no matter the setting, the feel-good factor goes up exponentially when you hear "Sweet Caroline" being uniformly sung around the stadium. London Stadium is no exception, and good times never seemed so good across the pond.