The NFL is heading to a new destination in London Tyquan Lewis Color Rush Jersey , and the first match-up at English Premier League club Tottenham will be the Oakland Raiders against the Seattle Seahawks in October.

That’s if the 60,000-plus capacity stadium, which has been designed to accommodate soccer and NFL, is completed in time for Week 6.

While Tottenham is sure that building work is on schedule on the White Hart Lane site where its previous stadium was demolished last year, the NFL has contingency plans to move the Oct. 14 game to Wembley Stadium.

The home of the England national soccer team is where the NFL will be staging another two games after Raiders-Seahawks match-up, giving London three consecutive weeks of American football for the first time.

The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Tennessee Titans will take on the Los Angeles Chargers. The NFL is yet to decide which game will be on Oct. 21 in Week 7 and which slots into Week 8 on Oct. 28.

”It’s a great learning for us, it’s another test for us,” Mark Waller, the NFL’s executive vice president of international, said Thursday at the site of Tottenham’s new stadium. ”If we were ever to put a franchise in the UK we would need to know we can do three consecutive weekends.”

The NFL had planned to stage two games in the 2018 season at Tottenham, which was runner-up in the Premier League last season. But Tottenham, which is using Wembley as its own temporary home this season, doesn’t want the burden of two NFL fixtures when it is still settling into its new, unnamed stadium.

”We have created something very unique,” Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy said at the announcement of fixtures. ”We still have another six or seven months of really hard work of construction.”

Tottenham has signed a 10-year contract for games with the NFL.

”We very much hope there will be a franchise in London and we would very much like this stadium to be used for that club,” Levy said. ”We haven’t assumed there is going to be a franchise. It’s very much our desire.”

The new stadium was designed with NFL-sized changing rooms and to ensure the grass soccer pitch can be retracted and kept under lights below the stands when the artificial surface is required for NFL.

Waller said they ”don’t want to alienate” fans of Tottenham’s rivals by being so closely associated with one Premier League team.

”We will need to get that right,” Waller said. ”But we are also playing at Wembley so there will be plenty of other opportunities for fans to go elsewhere as well. It also puts an onus on us to ensure we are thoughtful about how we manage all our relationships.”

By the end of the year, 29 of the NFL’s 32 franchises will have played in London since regular-season games were first played in the British capital in 2007.

”When we played the first game here we had no idea if we were ever coming back,” Waller said.

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Jose Bautista had never before experienced the euphoria of a game-ending home run during his 15-year big league career. He can add that to his list of accomplishments.

Bautista’s grand slam with two outs in theninth inning lifted the New York Mets over the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 on Friday night.

”I was aware of it Nyheim Hines Color Rush Jersey ,” Bautista of his first walk-off homer. ”I guess sometimes it just takes a while.”

Todd Frazier walked and Devin Mesoraco singled to open the ninth against Chaz Roe (1-2). Amed Rosario’s sacrifice advanced the runners, Roe retired pinch-hitter Dominic Smith on a comebacker and intentionally walked Brandon Nimmo to load the bases.

Roe tried to come inside with a sinker on the first pitch to the slugger, who has 32 home runs in 157 games against Tampa Bay.

”Tried to get ahead early with the sinker and got too much of the plate,” Roe said. ”I knew he was swinging there.”

It was Bautista’s sixth homer of the season and gave the Mets their third win in their last 19 games at home.

Bautista remained unsigned through spring training, signed with Atlanta on April 18 and was promoted to the majors on May 4. He appeared at third base – a position he hadn’t played in years – and hit .143 (5 for 35) with a two homers and five RBIs in 12 games before he was released on May 20.

Lacking power after Yoenis Cespedes went on the disabled list, New York took a chance on Bautista two days later.

In 39 games with the Mets, the 37-year-old has hit .227 with four home runs and 18 RBIs. But over his last 17 games, Bautista is hitting .330 (15 for 50) with four homers and 15 RBIs.

And he’s certainly amazed Mets manager Mickey Callaway.

”I think that from what we’ve seen as a Met, it’s been outstanding,” Callaway said.” Top-tier production out of a guy that we got from Atlanta, who let him go. So that’s surprising. Now the guy himself, who has a body of a 25-year-old, stays in shape? Can never count those guys out.”

Tampa Bay had a chance to take the lead in the top of the ninth against Jeurys Familia (4-4).

He Daniel Robertson with a pitch, loading the bases, and first baseman Wilmer Flores threw out pinch-runner Hunter Wood at the plate despite his high throw following Mallex Smith’s grounder. Umpires confirmed the call after Tampa Bay challenged.

Familia then struck out Willy Adames to end the threat.

Jacob deGrom was once again stellar for the Mets, allowing just one run and four hits while striking out eight and issuing one walk over eight innings.

It was the ninth no-decision for the staff ace.

”Like I said before, the goal is to win, whether I get the win or somebody else,” deGrom said. ”The goal is to win baseball games and we got a win tonight.”

Asdrubal Cabrera gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the third with an RBI single.

DeGrom, who has an 1.80 ERA in nine starts at Citi Field this season Derwin James Color Rush Jersey , gave up a tying solo homer to Adames in the fifth.

AN EYE FOR INTERNATIONAL TALENT

New York announced the signings of their top two targets in the new international free agent period. The Mets gave a franchise-record $2.7 million signing bonus to 16-year-old Francisco Alvarez from Venezuela. Alvarez was ranked No. 9 on Baseball America’s prospect list, and 13th on the MLB Pipeline list.

Freddy Valdez, a 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic, received a $1.45 million signing bonus. Baseball America had him as the 29th best prospect, MLB Pipeline ranked him at No. 25.

FRESH FACES

Tampa signed LHP Shane McClanahan, the 31st overall pick in the draft, for a $2,230,100 bonus, $5,700 above slot value. He was a compensation pick for the loss of Alex Cobb in free agency. RHP Matthew Liberatore, taken with the 16th pick, made his debut with the GCL Rays on Friday. He allowed one earned run, one hit, and two walks with one strikeout and a hit batter in 1 2/3 innings, getting the loss.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rays: RHP Chris Archer will return to the rotation and start Monday against Detroit. The ace has been on the disabled list June 5 due to a left abdominal strain. Archer is 3-4 with a 4.24 ERA in 13 starts this season.

Mets: Manager Mickey Callaway said that it would be ”ideal” for RHP Noah Syndergaard to start July 13 vs against Washington if all goes well with his rehab start Sunday at Class A Brooklyn.

MOVES

Rays: Tampa Bay recalled LHP Adam Kolarek from Triple-A Durham and designated OF Jerry Hazelbaker for assignment.

Mets: RHP Paul Sewald was called up from Triple-A Las Vegas and LHP Jerry Blevins was placed on the bereavement list.

UP NEXT

Rays: Blake Snell (11-4, 2.24 ERA) starts the second game of the series. Snell has won his last three outings, allowing just two runs and eight hits while striking out 26 despite 12 walks in 21 innings.

Mets: Steven Matz (4-5, 3.46) gets the nod in his first start against Tampa Bay. Opponents are hitting just .167 (17 for 102) with runners in scoring position against the New York lefty.

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