Best moments from Game 2 of the London Series
Brent Maguire
@bmags94
Brian Murphy
@Spokes_MurphyThe MLB London Series returned on Saturday for the first time in four years and just the second time ever. And it was worth the wait: Amid much fanfare -- and pyrotechnics! -- the Cubs rode two homers by Ian Happ and a sterling outing from Justin Steele to a 9-1 victory over the Cardinals in front of a spirited crowd at London Stadium.
St. Louis got its revenge in Game 2 on Sunday, as international man of history Paul Goldschmidt put his squad up for good, before the Cards pulled away for a 7-5 victory.
Here are the top Game 2 highlights and sights & sounds from a smashing day at London Stadium:
1. Goldy delivers before Stro's early exit
Paul Goldschmidt is something of an international superstar. A day after becoming the first player in MLB history to play a regular-season game in five different countries, Goldschmidt delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the fourth inning to put the Cardinals up 5-4. Cubs starter Marcus Stroman was subsequently removed from the game due to a blister on his right index finger. Lars Nootbaar promptly followed with a sacrifice fly against Cubs reliever Michael Fulmer.
2. Willson gives Cards more breathing room
Catcher Willson Contreras opened the Cardinals¡¯ fifth inning with his third hit of the day, a double into the left-field corner. He came around to score on Nolan Gorman¡¯s hit into left-center. Gorman was thrown out trying to extend the single to a double.
Contreras added a fourth hit -- a sharp single to left -- in the seventh. It marked his first four-hit game of the season and the first by a Cardinals catcher since Yadier Molina on Aug. 23, 2020.
3. Walker still streaking to Cards' delight
Cardinals star rookie Jordan Walker tied the game in the third with a two-out knock up the middle, driving in Lars Nootbaar. The RBI single extended Walker¡¯s hitting streak to 15 games. That's the longest active streak in the Majors and ties Gorman for the longest hitting streak by a Cardinals player this season. (Walker was subsequently picked off by Marcus Stroman to end the frame.)
4. Brilliant! London Series packs in top crowd of 2023
Saturday¡¯s game in London brought in a crowd of 54,662, the highest attendance for an MLB game this season. It was part of a big day across the Major Leagues, which was watched live by 569,925 fans. That¡¯s the best-attended Saturday of 15 games since 2015. The average attendance was 37,995, and eight games had more than 40,000 fans present.
5. A legendary first pitch
Sunday¡¯s first-pitch festivities featured one of the best players of all time. Cardinals legend Albert Pujols threw out a first pitch alongside former Cubs and Cardinals All-Star outfielder Dexter Fowler. The Cards¡¯ Adam Wainwright caught Pujols' pitch while the Cubs¡¯ Patrick Wisdom was on the other end of Fowler¡¯s offering.
6. A (mis)Happ in left field
While patrolling left field in the fourth inning, Cubs outfielder Ian Happ was mic'd up and in the middle of a conversation with Michael Kay and Alex Rodriguez in the ESPN booth when Happ's earpiece fell off. Happ lost his earpiece while running down a Lars Nootbaar base hit that started off the inning. The lost earpiece was discovered at the completion of the inning by a member of the ESPN camera crew.
7. Cards get right back into it
With the bases loaded, Tommy Edman reached on an error by Trey Mancini, who failed to catch the flip from second baseman Nico Hoerner. Brendan Donovan then drove in two more runs with a single to right. Marcus Stroman allowed three runs in the second after allowing a total of four runs over his previous five starts (34 2/3 innings).
8. Stro more than just a great pitcher
Marcus Stroman has a Gold Glove on his MLB r¨¦sum¨¦. He showed everyone why when he started this double play to end the bottom of the first.
9. Cubs pick right up where they left off
The Cubs took advantage of some shaky defense to put up four runs in the first, all with two outs. After errors from shortstop Paul DeJong and second baseman Nolan Gorman, Dansby Swanson slapped an RBI single through the right side. Mancini followed with a two-run double, scoring Swanson and Ian Happ. Designated hitter Miguel Amaya then brought Mancini home by lacing a double past third baseman Nolan Arenado. The Cardinals entered the day with the second-fewest errors in the Majors (29).
10. Commissioner and the mayor
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred met up with London mayor Sadiq Khan prior to today¡¯s game at London Stadium.