London stadium (originally named Olympic Stadium) was built in 2012 specifically for the Summer Olympics. It currently serves as the home stadium for the West Ham United soccer team in the English Premier League.
The venue hosted its first and only baseball games in 2019 when the Yankees and Red Sox met for the inaugural MLB London Series. The weekend doubleheader was particularly high scoring with New York beating Boston 17-13 in the first game and 12-8 in the second. On the surface, the high score seemed attributable to the small field dimensions which measure just 385 to center field. But there was also discussion about the stadium's impact on breaking pitches. London Stadium was designed to limit the impact of wind on track athletes and several players and coaches reported pitches not breaking as much as usual.
The Cubs and Cardinals are set to square off in the 2023 version of the series, which will feature a more pitcher-friendly field. Center field will measure 392 this time around with with a 16-foot-tall fence to help keep short fly balls in the yard. Standard measurements down the line (330) and deeper than average power alleys (387) will help London Stadium resemble a more typical MLB park.
