England cricketers Jos Buttler and Alex Hales made a guest appearance playing a sport that is far from their area of expertise – baseball. They attended a night of ‘Home Run Derby’ in Hyde Park, organized by Major League Baseball to increase the popularity of the American bred sport in the UK. Buttler represented a five-person Boston Red Sox team while his England teammate Hales played for the Dodgers.
Big hit from @josbuttler = one happy mate #MLBBATTLEGROUNDS pic.twitter.com/K7aIAQkbqS
— Jesse David White (@jessewhite28) July 4, 2017
Hales was first in line to the batting cage, his two-minute slot saw him take an off-drive and after his short warm-up, he hit six home runs, winning a total of eight points. Buttler didn’t quite match up to Hales and was given a small off-field penalty for it. Speaking on the bet, Hales said, “We were going to have a fiver on it. But decided that the one who lost ought to go home wearing the baseball uniform.”
The duo’s trip was a goodwill mission for the 4th of July celebrations in the USA, the two commented on how cricket is sure to gain popularity too, as more cross-overs happen in the future. They also commented on how baseball technique and style of sport is something that can help professional cricket players to perfect their level of play.
