LONDON — They came, they saw, they prospered. The Yankees were happy tourists, excellent ambassadors and a winning team — a superbly executed triple play on either side of the Atlantic.
They met special circumstances with continued special play. The Yanks carried over the outstanding results in North America to the first games ever in Europe — a kind of London Bridge to their season.
By the time they were done with two games — which lasted a combined 9 hours and 6 minutes, needed 796 pitches to complete, encompassed 50 runs on 65 hits on a turf that played quickly and alleys that welcomed extra-base hits, and extensive foul territory that evoked the unexpected and blinding sun that peeked through the overhang that looped London Stadium — the Yankees had not only won the first MLB games played on this continent, but had furthered galvanized the thought that there is magic about them.