London Mets Baseball Club won their eighth-straight national title last month, but their manager is dedicated to far more than just winning.
The ball club based in Finsbury Park defeated rivals Essex Arrows 2-0 in the final, winning 12-2 and 7-4 to claim their 11th total National Baseball League(NBL) title.
Manager Derrick Cook has been involved with the Mets for over 14 years, having moved from the US, where he played for Chicago State and the University of Maryland.
He said: “All the accolades and everything doesn’t really mean much to me.
“The championships are cool, but it’s kind of an expectation as our standard is winning.”
Creating a baseball dynasty hasn’t been easy for Cook and his predecessors, as the Mets’ squad combines the youthful exuberance of students with relatively established veterans, aged between 25 and 35.
The team also started poorly this season, losing three games early on.
However, Cook and the team were able to pull through, going on to finish second in the NBL, after finding a balance between young guys gaining valuable experience and the older guys getting their minutes.
He added: “This championship meant a lot to me from a coaching standpoint.
“There were two different generations who think, handle conflict, and play baseball differently, and the guys weren’t having the fun they normally have.
“It meant more to see the team pull through, to rally together, and start winning.
“This is what baseball has always been about.”
The coach first played baseball when he was four, and therefore knows a thing or two about how tough it can be from his 43 years of devotion to the game.
Cook said: “Baseball is sink or swim.
“They say one of the hardest things in sports is to hit a 90-mph fastball, and you have to match the athleticism with the baseball IQ.”
Cook described his dedication to growing the sport on the club’s website, and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics offers a unique opportunity for more baseball coverage.
He’s a bullpen coach for the Great Britain senior national team, who won silver at the 2023 European Championships as well.
Cook said: “The chances in LA 2028 are pretty good, but there are no easy wins.
“We are in every game that we play at the moment.”
Despite the sport’s lack of uptake in the UK, with YouGov preferring to poll people if they participated in horse racing over baseball, the standard is improving in the country.
Major League Baseball came to London again this year as the Philadelphia Phillies played the New York Mets twice in front of a crowd of over 50,000 at the London Stadium, and Cook credits this with growing UK baseball.
Cook said: “We get quite a large influx of interest when they come to play their games, and visit schools in the area.”
The London Mets’ baseball reputation makes the club an attractive prospect for talented Brits and expats often from the US looking to continue their baseball journey.
The NBL takes place over the summer, and Cook is up for the challenge as the standard across the league continues to improve.
Teams are training better pitchers, capable of reaching 80 to 90 mph, and employing more imported players from abroad.
He said: “Competition is what I love about baseball, so I’m looking forward to the new season.
“But baseball is a sport where you fail most of the time, so it is more about being part of something.
“I don’t remember the hits and the wins, but teammates, the laughs, and team camaraderie.”
Anyone interested in taking up baseball can visit the London Mets website here.
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