LONDON – Cubs utility player Christopher Morel held up the West Ham United jersey that retired footballers Carlton Cole and James Collins gifted him for a photo op in the dugout during London Series team workouts Friday.

First base coach Mike Napoli, wearing an Arsenal jersey, walked past on his way back to the clubhouse and said: “Put that down.”

This caught Cole’s attention, and he called after Napoli: “Hey, hey hey.”

Cole shook his head as Napoli disappeared down the tunnel and added: “Coming in here, in an Arsenal shirt.” 

Nothing breaks down cultural barriers like rivalry banter. 

That’s exactly what MLB is counting on as the Cubs and Cardinals play a two-game series at London Stadium this weekend. “Old rivalry, new ground,” serves as the slogan for the event. Rivalries have been the deciding factor in which teams MLB sends across the pond. The Yankees and Red Sox played the inaugural games in 2019, and commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday that the Mets and Phillies will carry on the new tradition June 8-9, 2024. 

“We want to show our best when we come someplace special like London,” Manfred said. “We do regard London to be special, of strategic importance to us. We think our game is at its best when we have traditional rivals playing.”

The Cubs and Cardinals’ rivalry goes back well over a century. And now their division has no clear favorite, with just nine games separating the last-place Cardinals (31-44) and the first-place Reds (40-35) entering Friday, the smallest gap in MLB.

The Cubs (36-38), having won 10 of their last 12 games, are trying to make up ground before president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer decides the clubs’ approach to the trade deadline. 

“These two games still count,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “… As long as we come out of here with two wins, that’s the reason we’re here.” 

It’s an interesting time for an overseas trip. Manfred pointed to weather as a “limiting factor” in the timing of the London Series. In the Cubs’ case, a late June event meant a pair of roughly 7 ½ hour flights, extra off days, and a jet lag thrown at a hot streak. But players also pointed to the bonding experience that overseas travel presents. 

“The cool thing about a trip like this is all the families get to be together,” left fielder Ian Happ said. “And you get some time in Chicago to do that, but on a trip like this, everybody gets to hang out together. The flight was a really nice experience for everybody to spend some time. And being on that roll coming off some really good series is a nice way to do that.” 

They also got a private tour of Westminster Abbey on Thursday. They took in the towering ceilings, stained glass windows, and troves of history held within stone walls. Happ, Justin Steele  – who is set to start Saturday – and manager David Ross highlighted the experience as one of their favorites of the trip so far. 

Shortstop Nico Hoerner’s pick was more overarching. 

“Walking around the streets in general, just the impression of how our history in the United States is pretty short,” Hoerner said, “and just walking around and getting a sense of all that’s come before you.” 

Playing a rivalry game in a London soccer stadium will be the Cubs’ next new experience. They’ll be giving plenty of fans a new experience too. What do they want any new fans who are seeing MLB in person for the first time to take away from the weekend games?

“That it’s not just any two teams that are coming,” Hoerner said, “Cubs-Cardinals is a special thing.”