Get ready for some transatlantic baseball! The St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs are heading to London for a two-game series at the iconic London Stadium, and the field has undergone some interesting modifications since the last MLB games held there in 2019. The most notable change? The fences have been moved back, making it a bit more challenging for hitters to launch home runs.

Center field is now a deeper 392 feet from home plate, a seven-foot increase compared to four years ago. The power alleys have also been extended by five feet to 387 feet. Major League Baseball clarified that these adjustments were made to accommodate seating changes within the stadium and not in response to the high-scoring Yankees-Red Sox games in 2019, which saw a combined 10 home runs.

Other improvements include repositioned dugouts and significantly reduced foul territory, all designed to create a more authentic baseball experience. MLB's field consultant, Murray Cook, noted the striking difference in the ballpark's appearance from home plate compared to 2019. Despite the increased distances, the center field wall remains relatively short compared to other major league stadiums, measuring 16 feet high and sloping down to eight feet on the sides.

The foul lines remain at 330 feet, but seating adjustments will bring fans closer to the action. Cook explained that the new dugout placement and seating configuration create a more traditional angled layout along the foul lines, unlike the straight-line arrangement behind home plate in 2019.

The field features new artificial turf from Montreal (the 2019 turf was donated to a UK baseball and softball complex) and clay from Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Cook emphasized the reusability of these materials for future events. MLB has plans for London games in 2024 and 2026, with Paris potentially hosting in 2025. The Cardinals and Cubs were originally slated to play in London in 2020, but the pandemic forced cancellation.

London Stadium, also known as Olympic Stadium, has received upgrades since 2019, including a new LED lighting system, which reduces the need for protective chicken wire. Only one panel required the traditional chicken wire covering this year, with the remaining fixtures protected by a specialized grid. The stadium, built for the 2012 Olympics, is designed to minimize wind impact and boasts a capacity of 62,500 for West Ham soccer matches. The 2019 London MLB games attracted a diverse crowd of over 118,000, comprising American travelers, local expats, and British fans.