The similarities between Lord’s Cricket Ground and Fenway Park are in short supply, bar a similar capacity below 40,000. And yet Jackie Bradley Jr.’s visit to the home of English cricket earlier this month seemed to leave an impression on the Red Sox center fielder, fresh from winning a World Series back in November.
Just don’t sign him up to play in any five-day Test matches soon. Game three of the World Series, lasting over eight hours, was long enough.
“I can’t imagine playing for five days,” he laughs. “That game was one of those things… at that time it was more mind over anything, because you did not have anything left, everybody is playing their hearts out and trying to do whatever they can to contribute to win that ball game. That was a long one.”
The fact the Red Sox actually lost that one-game marathon, have been tied for eternity at 1-1 after Bradley Jr.’s home run until the 18th inning, was almost an afterthought given all the focus on tumbling records.
Boston ended up winning the Series with L.A. Dodgers 4-1, having comprehensively seen off the Houston Astros and New York Yankees in the previous rounds. The Red Sox and not merely a championship-winning side; they are a juggernaut.
Bradley Jr. and the Red Sox celebrate winning the World Series Credit: GETTY IMAGES
“That defeat in Game 3 helped pull us together that much more. We didn’t win that game and we were able to regroup, which is what made our team so special this year: not dwelling on the past and focussing on what we needed to do next in order to accomplish our goal the next day.”
Bradley Jr.’s time at Lord’s, taking in the Long Room and the Ashes urn, comes about a week after Major League Baseball’s two London Series matches between the Red Sox and Yankees at the London Stadium sold out in impressive time.
Britain’s appetite for all things sporting is no secret but even so, the speed at which over 100,000 tickets across the two days were snapped up bodes well for more games in the future.
“What I really loved [about the Ashes urn] was the sentimental value it has. That’s what a lot of people don’t understand, and what makes that trophy so special,” Bradley explains.
“[The two sports] kind of go hand in hand. They both go back for a long time, and as I walked back through the museum you can see the evolution of the game – baseball is the same. You see how the game has changed, whether that be the things you wear, helmets, padding, or different bats, how they’re made, things like that. As I would imagine, cricket is a constant game of adjustments, just like baseball.”
Mookie Betts #50 of the Boston Red Sox holds the World Series trophy Credit: GETTY IMAGES
Sledging at least should be a familiar trait between the Red Sox and Yankees. Baseball’s most famous of rivalries transcends beyond the ballpark, beyond even the United States. MLB have not exactly dipped their toe into a new European market.
Bradley Jr. ended his week in England by travelling up to Anfield, home to another sporting franchise owned by John W. Henry, to watch Liverpool happily humble Manchester United. Bradley might not admit it, but a similar outcome for the Red Sox against the Yankees in June would be extremely satisfying.
“It is two big franchises with a lot of history, who are known to have some really good matches. Hopefully we will over here. It can be a little bit of both (respectful but with a bit of an edge) and I do not think there is anything wrong with that.
“We all have respect for one another because we know what it takes to get to where we are. Grinding through the minor leagues to get to the big league, it’s hard. A brutal game. It will mess with you mentally and physically. So we have that appreciation and respect for them, but we are also competitors and we want to win. Whatever edge we can get over them (Yankees), we are going to do it and try to beat them.
“Honestly, what makes the Yankees games different is that it comes down to the tension. If we had the same amount of media (for other games) it would just be normal, but fans really get into it.”
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