[New post] Tacos, tequila and taters: SF Giants ready for historic Mexico City series
gqlshare posted: "SAN FRANCISCO — Tacos, tequila and taters await the San Francisco Giants in Mexico City, where they head for two games this weekend against the San Diego Padres, the first-ever regular season MLB contests in the metro area of more than 22 million and, at " Daily Democrat
SAN FRANCISCO — Tacos, tequila and taters await the San Francisco Giants in Mexico City, where they head for two games this weekend against the San Diego Padres, the first-ever regular season MLB contests in the metro area of more than 22 million and, at approximately 7,300 feet above sea level, the highest-altitude games in MLB history.
"I'm excited to see the city. I hear it's awesome," Giants starter Logan Webb said. "I'm not excited for the elevation, that's for sure."
Situated on a former lakebed on the central Mexican plateau, surrounded by peaks that climb to 16,000 feet, the former Aztec capital turned bustling metropolis and foodie mecca will play host to the two NL West clubs this weekend at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, a modern (built in 2019) and intimate (20,062 capacity) ballpark nearly half a mile higher in the sky than Colorado's homer haven, Coors Field.
"Somehow I got lucky enough to not pitch in that series," Webb, who pitches Thursday, said with a grin. "Somehow."
The Giants will, at least, have one of their best groundball pitchers on the mound Saturday, in Alex Cobb, with Sean Manaea going Sunday as the other not-so-fortunate starter who must navigate the hitter-friendly environment. Only three teams in the majors have hit more home runs than the Giants (38), while the Padres lineup hasn't quite heated up yet but is stacked with superstars (Juan Soto, Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr., Xander Bogaerts). And oh, did we mention it's only 325 feet to either foul pole?
"I heard about that," said Giants first baseman/outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr., who was excited to add a second stamp to his passport but lit up at the prospect of hitting at elevation. "That should be fun. Still gotta stay within your approach. If the ball goes, the ball goes. You've still gotta put good contact on it. You can't try to chase that fence. Just see the ball and hit it."
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – APRIL 21: Aerial view of the Alfredo Harp Helu baseball stadium at Magdalena Mixhuca sports facility on April 21, 2020, in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas/Getty Images)
More exciting for the players is bringing the game's highest level to a new, enthusiastic audience.
When it's not moonlighting as MLB's 31st venue, the Mexico City ballpark is home to Diablos Rojos del México, a storied club with a history in the Mexican League dating back to 1940. Their owner, whose name is on the stadium, also has a stake in the Padres and has hosted them for exhibitions but never a regular-season game until this year.
The series is part of an effort by MLB to bring the game to international audiences, with games planned for London, Paris, Japan, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico in the coming years, something Wilmer Flores, one of four Spanish speakers in the Giants' clubhouse, hopes to see more of.
"I wish every year there's one of those (series) in Latin countries," said Flores, who is Venezuelan. "They're really big baseball fans. … Especially in Latin countries, you know baseball's big. So I'm hoping to see a lot of those."
It comes with its costs for the league and the teams involved. While the Giants didn't lose two home games, like the Padres, they did replace an easy road trip to San Diego with a four-hour flight to the Central Time Zone. No team will travel more miles this season than the Giants, who have already visited four road cities, all east of the Mississippi River.
"I'm not viewing it as an inconvenience," starter Ross Stripling said. "Our travel to start the season has been an inconvenience, and Mexico City is not necessarily very close to San Francisco. … You have to take it for what it is and try to enjoy it. It's two of 162, and (think) how fired up that city and that fanbase will be to watch two teams play major league baseball."
As part of the collective bargaining process, players receive a bonus for participating in the games outside their normal travel arrangements and at facilities that don't usually host major leaguers.
"It's essentially an East Coast trip for us," said outfielder Austin Slater, the Giants' player representative with the MLBPA. "So it's an inconvenience but it's also like, players understand that it's important to grow the game."
A few Giants participated in the last MLB series in Mexico, in Monterrey in 2018, when Stripling, Joc Pederson and Alex Wood were teammates with the Dodgers, a trip that was particularly memorable given Los Angeles threw a combined no-hitter in the first game.
"I just remember feeling how excited they were that we were there," Stripling said. "The stadium was popping."
While Stripling came away with nothing but positive reviews from his first visit, he said he's more likely to stick to the club's swanky quarters in a posh part of the city rather than venture out on his own. Flores, on the other hand, wishes he had more time to explore, while Slater said, "I'm not gonna be dumb, but definitely go explore some sights."
"I feel like I've been tainted by movies. You know, you see Sicario a few times and you're like, maybe I shouldn't go to the local coffee shop," Stripling said. "So I'm probably going to lay low."
While Mexico City has become a world-class dining destination, players have been told to eat their meals at the team hotel, out of fears of steroids in local beef that could get flagged on a PED test.
"No taco is worth 80 games," one player said.
While the stadium is small, about half the capacity of Oracle Park, players expect it to be rocking. The country's passion for the sport was on display at Chase Field in Arizona this spring, during the World Baseball Classic, which only fueled interest with Mexico's highest-ever finish. The only games that mimicked the raucous environment in Miami were those involving Team Mexico.
Webb took note of the atmosphere when his Raiders played in Mexico City in 2016 and 2017, and while watching Mexican winter league games.
"It's loud," he said. "Louder than what we have here. So I'm excited to see that."
Flores has an idea of what to expect from recent experience.
"Pretty loud crowd," Flores said. "I don't know how Mexican fans are, but I have an idea from when we play the Dodgers."
When it came to what he was most excited about, Webb had a quick answer.
"Tequila," he said. "Just kidding. Tacos. Tacos and tequila. No, I'm excited to see the atmosphere. It's been cool to see the NFL games that get played there. I think it's gonna be just as crazy."
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