LONDON — Because London Stadium was swollen with an October feel on Friday for a workout, it was easy to confuse it with a postseason atmosphere ahead of the initial major league game played in a city where baseball is a curiosity.
Starting Saturday, when the Yankees and Red Sox clash in the first big league game in this city’s history, the buzz inside the repurposed 2012 Olympic venue will be more electric than an October game that doesn’t include these two teams.
When Red Sox right-hander Rick Porcello throws Saturday’s first pitch in front of a sold-out crowd of 60,000, the draining flights, time changes, sightseeing and precautions to assure the players don’t get clipped by cyclists will have vanished, and one of the best spectacles in all sports will come to life.