LONDON — As a battle-tested veteran in these parts — all of one previous trip to the U.K. — J.D. Martinez took it upon himself Friday to round up several Mets teammates for a field trip.
Shortly before a team workout, a group that included Pete Alonso and others watched the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
“We all walked over there and hung out,” Martinez said. “The cool part is being with the guys, sharing this experience with the guys.”
It followed a team dinner on Thursday night that included family members and allowed for further bonding away from the field.
But the fun part of the trip was expected to end Friday night with an MLB reception at a museum.
On Saturday, it’s back to baseball, with the start of the London Series between the Mets and Phillies, as MLB continues an event that started with the Yankees and Red Sox in 2019.
It resumed last year, when the Cardinals and Cubs played two games at London Stadium.
When last seen, the Mets were completing a three-game sweep in Washington that buoyed spirits following a 3-7 homestand as part of nosedive in which they lost 17 of 23 overall.
The Phillies (44-19) own MLB’s best record and won three of four games divided between Queens and Philadelphia in May.
Martinez played in the inaugural event in 2019 and is hoping this one can match the intensity level, even without the Yankees and Red Sox present.
“It was sold out and rowdy,” said Martinez, who was the DH for the Red Sox.
Is he expecting “rowdy” this weekend?
“I don’t know,” Martinez said. “The first time I came, it was obviously different. It was Yankees and Red Sox, and I had like 10 people fly over for it. This year, I have got none, so we’ll see.”
The change in time zones, moving five hours ahead, has been an adjustment, and Martinez admitted Friday afternoon he felt like going to sleep.
But it’s the Phillies who might be more challenged trying to figure out what time it is. Before a homestand last week, the Phillies had a road swing through Colorado and San Francisco.
“That can put a lot of stress on your body for a player,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “We’re trying to do everything we can so they don’t get hurt.”
The Yankees won 17-13 and 12-8 in sweeping the first London Series. The scoring (Cubs 9-1) and Cardinals (7-5) was more subdued last season. Thomson said the mild temperatures expected this weekend — as opposed to the extreme heat in which the Red Sox and Yankees played — should contribute to keeping scores in the normal range.
Sean Manaea, the Mets’ scheduled starting pitcher on Saturday against Ranger Suarez, was asked during a pre-workout press conference how players felt about the London Series as MLB looks to expand its reach.
“I’m all for it,” Manaea said. “I love traveling — being tired and the grind of it all is part of the process and any way to grow the game, expand the game, I think this is healthy for it. Coming to places like London or last year [with the Giants] we went to Mexico City … it’s so cool and special to me. It’s a little hard at times, but definitely worth it.”
Alonso said he was excited last year when it was announced the Mets would be a participant in the London Series.
“I’m really stoked to do it,” Alonso said. “This is definitely a bucket list thing and jetlag is a choice. We’re here and the time is the time and thankfully we had two off days so I think we’ll all be ready to go.”
