New York Yankees legend Alex Rodriguez excited for London MLB game
Alex Rodriguez: "When you think about history in sports in America, part of that is Yankees vs Red Sox. These are two titans. It's Goliath versus Goliath."
Monday 19 November 2018 14:58, UK
Former New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez says it is "a dream come true" to bring Major League Baseball's greatest rivalry to England.
London Stadium will host matches between the Yankees and world champions the Boston Red Sox in June.
The two-game series will be the first time the MLB has staged a match Europe.
"It's really a dream come true for me as a lover of MLB and baseball in general," said Rodriguez, who visited the London stadium on Monday.
"I dreamt as a player to play here in London. Baseball is synonymous with numbers and history like no other sport, and because it's a thinking people's game, I think it fits beautifully here.
"We're leading with our best, and we're coming here with the best America has to offer.
"When you think about history in sports in America, part of that is Yankees vs Red Sox. These are two titans. It's Goliath versus Goliath."
Rodriguez won the World Series with the Yankees in 2009 and was named the American league's most valuable player on three occasions.
The 43-year-old, who retired in 2016 and is now a TV analyst, is confident the high-profile games will increase interest in the sport on this side of the Atlantic and inspire a new generation of fans.
"For children, I think they have the opportunity to get hooked with what is the greatest game in the world," he said.
"I hope that one day, some kid can say that, 'I went to that game, and because of that I am a Major League Baseball player'.
"Watching it in person, seeing the sound, the smell, the feel, of a magical game, there's nothing like that."
London Stadium, used by Premier League side West Ham, will be reduced to a capacity of 57,000 and transformed into a baseball configuration for the series on June 29 and 30.
Rodriguez, nicknamed A-Rod, is excited by the venue's potential.
"It's a beautiful, beautiful stadium. I want to go down and walk it. I want to see it. I want to see what the background's going to look like," he said.
"From a visual point of view it looks like a tremendous place to play baseball."
