Rob McElhenney Releases Promo For Phillies London Series [VIDEO]

Rob McElhenney is in so many ways the perfect person to stir up excitement for the upcoming MLB World Tour: London Series 2024. 

Look at the Philadelphia native’s success as the owner of Wrexham A.F.C., a “football” club in Wales. He’s an expert on American sports, international sports, and of course, the ideal choice to get the city of Philadelphia fired up to see the Phillies in an international showcase series against the rival New York Mets.

Don’t forget about his persisting crush on Chase Utley in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Utley is now Major League Baseball’s Ambassador to Europe who played an integral role in organizing the London Series.

The Phillies and the Mets will square up in London on Saturday, June 8 at 1:10pm EST and Sunday, June 9 at 10:10am EST. Expect some kegs and eggs in America’s birthplace and at the Jersey Shore that Sunday morning.

Both games will take place at London Stadium in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The effort to grow the game internationally achieved a victory when Great Britain competed in the World Baseball Classic in 2023.

Past major league series in London have included the Yankees against the Red Sox and the Cubs against the Cardinals. Leave it to Chase Utley to push for the Phillies and Mets as the first rivalry matchup in London since he took the international role. 

McElhenney’s media production company More Better Industries released a hype video that creatively meshed American and British culture and interconnected baseball with football (soccer). 

MLB Network announcer Matt Vasgersian and Wrexham legend Mark Griffiths provided a flawless contrast. Baseball fans know the bottom of the ninth while football fans are familiar with the 90th minute. Baseball fans know what it means to pitch, but they might not know what standing on the pitch means.

Rob McElhenney, unsurprisingly, didn’t ditch the same Philly attitude you’ve heard on The Preston & Steve Show for years. He appeared in the video in a maroon retro Phillies cap, and he must’ve made sure Bryce Harper got the featured portion of the video instead of those jabronis from New York.

Coming to you from Clearwater, Florida, The Preston & Steve Show is live from Phillies Spring Training. It's like a normal P&S show, but from a mobile studio set up in the outfield of Baycare Ballpark and in 75 degree weather. The gang was joined by several members of the Phillies organization, including former manager Larry Bowa, new signee Whit Merrifield, fan favorite outfielder Brandon Marsh, and former outfielder Shane Victorino. While each of them had different things to talk about, common themes included team dynamics, this season’s outlook, and strangely, golf. Thank you to Philly Sports Trips for powering the trip. Livestream. 

Bowa played a game of golf the other day with Turner and Stott. He managed to get a hole in one, and the only thing that can match the joy of that accomplishment would be the Phillies going all the way and winning the World Series this year. The Phils came up short in the NLCS last year against Arizona, and that frustration is a good motivator. The team has the ability to go all the way, and it helps that the vibes are off the charts. No one goes through the motions, and everyone is playing for each other. And hey, the 1980 and 2008 World Series victories happened during Leap Years... Livestream. 

Whit Merrifield is disgustingly good at sports, and that’s because he comes from a sports family. His father was also a pro baseball player, while his mom was a college tennis player. In his first interview with Philly media, we learned about Merrifield’s passion for golf and the Wake Forest University basketball program, among other things. We also learned about him being a foodie, and dubbed him “Cheesesteak Whit.” Welcome to Philly Mr. Merrifield! Livestream. 

Developing friend of the show Brandon Marsh’s back knee is fully healed, and he is ready to go this season! Marsh stopped by our booth really quick to talk about his imaginary friends in the outfield, how amazing of a player Johan Rojas is, and wanting to have a confetti cannon full of shaving cream. Marsh also learns about Casey’s hunt for an alligator, and plays a game of “Hairball,” answering trivia questions on beards and hair. Livestream. 

“They’re doing backflips!’ Going back to the golf theme, former Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino loves golf courses that let him play barefoot. He also talks about being blown away by the Savanah Bananas, and the tear-jerking moments of watching his 13-year-old son play with professional outfielders. Victorino wishes he could’ve played with his son, but he’s also proud of what he’s doing on his own. Victorino is cautious about the Phils this season: he also wants them to go back to the World Series this year, but he also wants people to temper their expectations. The game is hard, and getting through the playoffs is even harder. At the same, Victorino thinks this is a great winning core. Livestream. 

And that was the first day of Preston & Steve at Spring Training! There’s a lot of hope for the Philliess for this season, and also a lot of enthusiasm for a different sport in golf! Join us tomorrow for more Spring Training action!