I’m a baseball superstar and mates with ex-Arsenal defender but had run-in with pub bouncer during London trip

A Major League Baseball star told talkSPORT about how a trip to see friend Rob Holding in London took an unexpected turn outside a pub.

Bryson Stott is returning to the capital this summer for the 2024 MLB World Tour: London Series, where his Philadelphia Phillies team are taking on old rivals the New York Mets at West Ham’s London Stadium.

Stott shares an uncommon friendship with footballer Holding in a rare crossover between America’s pastime and England’s beloved game.

The connection has seen the former Arsenal and current Crystal Palace man join the MLB star on a trip to his native Las Vegas.

What happens in Vegas stays on Vegas, of course, but Stott did open up on his last visit to the UK on a trip to visit his mate in the English capital.

Speaking from the Phillies’ Spring Training base in Clearwater, Florida, Stott told talkSPORT: “I’m looking forward to London – I went in 2020 right before COVID.

“I went to see one of my buddies, Rob Holding, who was with Arsenal at the time, so I went to get to the Arsenal game and experience that. He was a good tour guide and he took us around as we did all the touristy things they tell you to do.

“We had a mutual friend in college and he would come to Vegas and hang out. I just hung out with him on the weekends and he was rehabbing his ACL at the time, so he had enough free time to get away for a couple of weekends here and there. That’s how we met and we just stayed in touch.”

He’s now a big fan of the Premier League and the English game – largely due to one reason and one huge difference between the two sports.

“We went to an Arsenal game and they played Crystal Palace that day, so it was kinda cool to see the in-town rivalry,” he said.

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“What I liked was many people showed up, and it’s die-hard fans like over here with our football and baseball, but the craziest part was the split stadium, with each team having their own snack bars and bathrooms and you don’t ever mix and match because it would be mayhem. 

“That was the coolest thing to me, seeing how separated it is. But it was awesome. We don’t have that in baseball. Even when we’re playing the Braves [Atlanta – another of the Phillies’ big rivalries], we’ll have Braves fans behind our dugout and we go to Atlanta and we have Phillies fans above their dugout – you don’t see that over there in football.”

Like many tourists, though, Stott was guilty of wearing the wrong colours in the wrong place and admitted he ran into a bit of trouble when trying to get a pre-match pint.

He explained: “It was funny – we went to a pub in London in Crystal Palace territory, I had my Arsenal scarf on and the bouncer looked at me kinda funky.”

Fortunately, though, the trouble only lasted a mere few seconds as the scene took a funny twist – and it’s not put him off his return to London this summer for the showdown with the Mets.

“Then he lifted up his jacket and he’s wearing an Arsenal jersey,” he said. “That really made me laugh.

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“So I’m looking forward to seeing him [Holding, not the bouncer] again. He’s excited and obviously we’re excited to get over to London and play in front of the London fans.

“Baseball is a big sport and has fans everywhere, so I think it’s cool we get to go over there instead of them coming over here every time or watching at home on TV at 4am or whatever it may be. I think it’s a really cool thing.”

New York Mets will play Philadelphia Phillies in the MLB World Tour: London Series 2024 on June 8-9 at London Stadium. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB]ticketmaster.co.uk/MLB