Andrew TredinnickNorthJersey.com
Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has been part of Major League Baseball's London Series once before as the Yankees' bench coach back in 2019.
The experience, the ballpark and the emotions from the fans stood out to Mendoza. But perhaps more importantly?
"Obviously, we won two games, and I hope that's the case here," Mendoza said.
The Mets and Phillies will be on the world's stage this weekend as they square off in a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday at London Stadium. Saturday's game is scheduled for 1:10 p.m., with the finale slated for a 10:10 a.m. start on Sunday.
Both teams enter on reasonable runs. The Phillies share the best record in MLB entering Thursday with a mark of 44-19 and winners of three in a row. The Mets are trying to work out of a miserable May and are coming off a sweep of the Nationals earlier this week.
"You got to treat it as a business trip. Obviously, it's in a different country, but the games count," Mendoza said. "Our preparation will be the same, the intensity, the focus. Yeah, it's a different country, different atmosphere, different ballpark. We're going to be playing a really good team in the Phillies and our job is to go out and get the job done."
Matchups: Who is pitching for the Yankees today? Here are all the matchups vs. Dodgers this weekend
With two unique baseball games scheduled, these are some of notable things to know about the MLB London Series between the Mets and Phillies:
Probable pitching matchups
Saturday: Mets' Sean Manaea (3-2, 3.63) vs. Phillies' Ranger Suarez (9-1, 1.70)
Sunday: Mets' Jose Quintana (1-5, 5.17) vs. Phillies' Taijuan Walker (3-1, 5.73)
Outlook: Sean Manaea is no secret to pitching outside of his comfort zone. The Mets right-hander took the ball for the Giants during the league's Mexico series on April 29, 2023. The game provided offensive fireworks, with Manaea allowing five runs on five hits and four walks, with the Padres grabbing a 16-11 victory.
Manaea will be facing arguably the top pitcher in the National League this season in Ranger Suarez. Suarez, who has allowed two earned runs or fewer in nine of his 12 starts, appears to be OK to start after being hit by a line drive in the thumb during his last start.
Jose Quintana is penciled in as Sunday's starter for the Mets. He will be looking to notch his first win since April 11 against the Braves. He'll be up against former Met Taijuan Walker, who has given up three earned runs or more in five of his seven starts this season.
Mets, Phillies history in international games
This will be the Mets' fourth trip to play a series outside of the United States and Canada. They first played an international series against the Padres in Monterrey, Mexico, back in 1996. It was the first time that the MLB played regularly-scheduled games outside of its two native countries. The Padres took two out of the three games.
Four years later in 2000, the Mets opened the season in Japan's Tokyo Dome against the Cubs. The two teams split the series.
The Mets' most recent international games were during a three-game series against the Marlins in Puerto Rico back in 2010. The Mets dropped two out of three games to move their international record to 3-5.
The Phillies are playing in their first international series this weekend.
Where is the game being played?
London Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium that was constructed to host the 2012 Summer Olympics. It has served as the home of West Ham United in the Premier League since 2016.
The Mets-Phillies series will be the third hosted at London Stadium, following the Yankees and Red Sox in 2019 and Cubs and Cardinals in 2023. The stadium can seat between 55,000 and 60,000 for a baseball game.
What else is going on during the weekend?
Over the course of the weekend, Trafalgar Square in Central London will serve as another site to celebrate MLB's arrival across the pond.
The location, which will be free to enter, will provide an area to watch the games with food, drinks, music and merchandise. It will also serve as the site of a home run derby battle between former iconic infielders for both franchises, the Mets' Daniel Murphy and Phillies' Chase Utley.
With the Mets serving as Saturday's home team, renowned actor and New Yorker Matthew Broderick will throw out the first pitch. Actor Rob McElhenney, a native of Philadelphia who stars in "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" will do the honors before the Phillies' home tilt on Sunday.
Grammy winner Jess Glynne will perform before Sunday's game.
