Kings and Queens: New York Mets Connections to the UK

Saturday June 8th marks just the fifth time a regular season Major League ballgame will take place on British soil. The New York Mets are in town, hoping to add some special moments to what has been an otherwise disappointing, and unfortunately Mets-like, season.

But the connections between Queens, the borough of New York City that the Mets call home, and the UK go beyond just this weekend's festivities. So ready up, as we explore the past and present connections between the New York City Metropolitans and the United Kingdom.

Life’s a Pitch

Truth be told, British born Mets players are few and far between. Mostly due to the relatively young age of the franchise, the Mets missed out on the scattering of British and Irish players that populated the early professional and amateur leagues. Their loss.

Nonetheless, since the establishment of the Mets in 1962, there have been a couple of British born players to take the field in Queens. Firstly, Les Rohr, born in the coastal Suffolk town of Lowestoft, played six games for the Mets between 1967 and 1969. He amassed a 3.70 ERA over 24 ⅓ innings, collecting two wins and 20 strikeouts whilst giving up 27 hits and 17 walks.

New York Mets pitcher Les Rohr of Billings takes a break during spring training in 1970 in Florida (Associated Press)

Those numbers may seem disappointing, but they get worse, as Rohr was in fact the number two overall pick in the 1965 MLB draft. A number of major injuries derailed his major league career after an impressive early start, giving up only two earned runs in 14 innings and recording two victories in his first two big league games. Rohr also featured at the tail end of a Marathon contest between the Mets and Astros in 1968, pitching the final three innings of a 24 inning ball game that, at the time, was the second longest game in MLB history.

51 years after Rohr first took the field for the Mets, Belfast born pitcher P. J. Conlon became just the second British/Irish born player to represent the Queens ballclub. Conlon did not enter the Mets system with quite the expectation of Les Rohr, being taken in the 13th round instead of the first, and his career would be even more brief. In the 2018 season, Conlon pitched in three games, starting two, giving up 15 hits and striking out 5 batters over 7.2 innings pitched. Good enough for a 8.22 ERA.

PJ Conlon pitching in a 2017 spring training game (Associated Press)

Conlon qualifies to represent both Great Britain and Ireland at international level, thanks to his Irish father and Scottish mother, and nearly did in 2016. He was called up to the GB roster for the 2017 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers, but was unable to compete due to reaching his pitch limit for the season. Conlon has always acknowledged the decision to represent GB was a complex one, considering the history of British rule in Ireland, and particularly Belfast, has been problematic to say the least. Conlon even started his first major league game with an Irish tricolour flag stitched into his glove.

British by Association

Speaking of players representing GB at international level, let’s take a look at some of the adopted Brits that have pulled on the blue and orange. Thanks to the astonishing success of the GB baseball national team in recent years, particularly qualifying for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, the team has stoked a number of players with previously unknown British connections out of the woodwork.

Firstly, in what is a first for the London Series, a GB baseball player will be taking the field! in a coaching position, at least. Antoan Richardson represented Great Britain at the qualifiers for both the 2013 and 2017 World Baseball Classics, getting one win away from qualifying before losing to Israel in the final. Richardson played pro ball in eight different MLB organisations, receiving big league call ups for both the Atlanta Braves and New York Yankees. He will be most remembered in baseball folklore for being the winning run on Derek Jeter's walk-off hit in his final at-bat at Yankee stadium.

Richardson transitioned to coaching shortly after his playing days ended, beginning his career as a field coordinator in the Giants minor league system, in 2019. Shortly after, he was promoted to first base coach of the big league club, where he would remain until 2023. Richardson was hired by the Mets during the 2023-24 offseason, continuing his role as first base coach on the other side of the country.

New York Mets first base coach Antoan Richardson during 2024 Spring Training (Wikimedia Commons)

Next up, Vance Worley, an eight year MLB veteran, spent time at the back end of his career in the Mets minor league system. Worley, who qualifies for GB thanks to his mother being born in Hong Kong during the time in which the region was under the rule of the British crown, pitched a full season for the Syracuse Mets, the New York Mets triple-A team. Although, arguably the highlight of his career is striking out Mike Trout in the 2023 WBC pool game between GB and the USA, for which he will always live in GB baseball folklore.

Vance Worley at GB baseball's training camp ahead of the 2023 WBC (GB Baseball)

Andre Scrubb also qualifies to represent GB due to his lineage, he struck out 3 batters over 2.1 innings during the 2023 WBC. He is currently plying his trade in the Mets minor league system, also with the Syracuse Mets, and considering the state of the Mets bullpen this season, he may be in line for a callup. Not in time to see him take the field in London at the weekend, unfortunately.

Andre Scrubb takes the mound for GB at the 2023 WBC (USA Today sports)

Last but certainly not least, GB outfielder Trayce Thompson, who qualifies for GB due to his Caribbean heritage, is also currently plying his trade in Syracuse for the Mets Triple-A affiliate. Thompson produced one of the greatest moments in GB baseball history, when he took USA starter Adam Wainwright deep in the first at-bat of the game, giving GB a shock 1-0 lead over the US. Sadly, Thompson also won’t be on the plane to London for the weekend, representing another missed opportunity to have an actual GB player play in the London Series.

Trayce Thompson crowned king after hitting a homerun against the USA for GB at the 2023 WBC (MLB) 

What’s in a Name?

Obviously, connections between the UK and the city of New York, particularly the borough of Queens, go well beyond the game of baseball. In fact, centuries before the game of baseball as we know it got going in the US. In 1683, New York State was established and split into 12 counties. The county of Queens was named after the queen of England at the time, Catherine of Braganza, who was also the princess of Portugal.

It is for this reason that the official flag for the borough of Queens features a tudor rose, representing its English roots. The symbol, consisting of the white rose of Yorks surrounded by the red rose of Lancs, was originally adopted by the English monarchy in the early 1500’s during the reign of the Tudors, hence the name.

Official flag of the borough of Queens, New York. a Tudor rose can be seen in the centre (Wikimedia Commons)

Homecoming Queens

So after 62 long years, the Mets will return to the city whose residents gave the name to their homeland. They’ll be looking to turn their season around, too, as they come into this weekend's games below .500, but with hope on the horizon coming off the back of a sweep against the Washington Nationals. Let’s hope Pete Alonso and Co. can deliver on this side of the Atlantic, better than back home.

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