Inside look at St Louis Cardinals Spring Training ahead of London game
The St Louis Cardinals are gearing up for what they hope will be another strong season, in competing for World Series.
As they seem to always be, Oliver Marmol's side will come into the year as favourites to win their division - with the franchise looking to maintain their winning culture.
This year though, will be a slightly amended season for the side, as they face the Chicago Cubs in the 2023 MLB London Series at the London Stadium.
The MLB announced their return to London with two of the sport's biggest rivals, the Cardinals and the Cubs, facing off in a pair of games to be played on June 24 and 25 later this year.
The games are set to be part of the MLB World Tour, which will feature up to 24 regular season games and up to 16 exhibition games played in Asia, Latin America and Europe.
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For many of the Cardinals players, it will be the first time they head overseas, but it's something they're looking forward to.
Pitcher Chris Stratton told Mirror Sport said: "It's incredibly cool to play in a different country, I had the opportunity to do it with the Pittsburgh Pirates and it's an awesome experience - we're all expecting a great game."
Fellow pitcher Jake Woodford said: "Man, it's going to be a really cool experience. I've never been to Europe so... it's exciting. It's great for the game, to expose it to more people.
"We have some generational players on this team, so hopefully the fans will see a great game...
Mirror Sport spent a few days behind the scenes with the St Louis Cardinals this month"I hear the weather isn't as great as here though," Woodford joked as he and his team prepare for the season in Jupiter, Florida.
The Cardinals spring season training camp in south Florida is over 1,000 miles away from their home in St. Louis, but hundreds of fans attend each game of pre-season, as coach Marmol puts the players through their paces.
The youngest coach in Major League Baseball, Marmol is a highly respected figure around the club.
One media member told Mirror Sport: "He's just a sensational leader. Marmol is a guy who the players want to play for. Everyone here loves the Cardinals and it's an honour to put the jersey on, and it just adds to that when you have a manager like him.
"He's 37 and he's one of the best right now. He's going to go really far."
Marmol is in just his second year as a manager, and spoke on his experiences managing the team, enjoying himself in Florida ahead of the season.
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The St Louis Cardinals prepare for a pre-season game ahead of the 2023 campaignHe told the Mirror: "I'm having a blast, I really am. It's been good to do this with the staff that we have here - the way we work, communicate and hold each other accountable is huge to what we're trying to do here.
"It helps to have the group of guys we have in this clubhouse, they have given us the permission and respect to hold them accountable and to make sure they're able to achieve what they're capable of doing. It's been a great back and forth first year, but I have enjoyed the heck out of it."
The fans, who call themselves the best in the league, are well-travelled, and it seems a lot of them look forward to the trip, too.
A season-ticket holder for 30 seasons, Mary Gayle said: "Oh boy, I'm beyond ready for London. And I'll tell you what, you'll see a lot of us guys at the game in June. This is going to be a big year for us."
St Louis Cardinals vs Miami Marlins in Spring TrainingUK fans will see the game in it's new-look, with the league making huge changes to speed things up this season.
Pitchers are now on a countdown to throw the ball, which is cutting around 45 minutes.
A veteran in the league, Stratton said on the rule changes: "As an older guy, maybe you're a little stuck in your ways at first. But to be honest, it's going really smooth and it's saving a lot of time - I think the fans will really enjoy it."
St. Louis Cardinals will play Chicago Cubs in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2023 on June 24 – 25 at London Stadium. Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.co.uk/mlb.
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