MLB will "host a Home Run Derby at Hyde Park in London on July 4" featuring former MLBers Cliff Floyd, Shawn Green and Carlos Peña, and while the players will take each other on in the event, the rules are a "bit different than you might expect," according to Chris Cwik of YAHOO SPORTS. The league is pushing both the Red Sox and Dodgers during the festivities, "encouraging fans take a side and pick whatever team and city they prefer." The players will be "divided up on those two teams during the Derby." The trio will then be joined by stars of “football, cricket and hockey.” The event is "part of MLB Battlegrounds, which is described as 'a series of immersive baseball experiences.'" It will include “an incredible collision of sport, culture and tech” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/1). Floyd said it would be “amazing” to be a part of a game which is helping baseball grow in the U.K. Floyd: "They’re trying to establish something that is great, and the game of baseball is great, and to be a part of this is amazing. ... This is a great initiative to jumpstart something that has been lacking." In London, David Churchill notes the baseball takeover is the "latest attempt" by various U.S. leagues to "import sports" from America (London EVENING STANDARD, 6/2).
