MLB to play regular season games in Mexico City for first time with Padres-Giants series in 2023

Wed, Aug 31, 2022
MLB News (AP)

Major League Baseball announced that there will be a series in Mexico City for the first time -- in the regular season -- next year. The Padres and Giants will do battle for a two-game series in Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium in Mexico's capital and largest city on April 29-30, 2023.

History will be made! For the first time MLB will play a regular season series in Mexico City.

See you in April 2023. #MexicoSeries #YoAmoElBeis pic.twitter.com/aVn5g5ydnp
- MLB (@MLB) August 31, 2022

Mexico City is about 7,200 feet above sea level, or much higher than Denver, home to Coors Field. Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu is only 325 feet down both lines and 400 center field, so the conditions should be ripe for the ball to fly out of the yard, especially on any balls hit down the foul lines.'

The ballpark opened in 2019 with a game between the home Diablos and the Padres, obviously an exhibition. In 2020, there was a series scheduled between the Diamondbacks and Padres, but the COVID-19 pandemic ruined those plans.'

MLB has played regular-season games in Mexico before, but they were all in Estadio de Beisbol in Monterrey. Here's a look at those games:

Aug. 16-18, 1996, Padres vs. Mets
May 4-6, 2018, Padres vs. Dodgers
April 13-14, 2019, Reds vs. Cardinals
May 4-5, 2019, Astros vs. Angels

"The Padres are excited to return to Mexico and play in the first regular season series in Mexico City in MLB history," Padres CEO Erik Greupner said in a statement. '"We are fortunate to have a loyal and passionate fan base in Mexico, and it will be an honor to showcase our team in Mexico's capital city at the beautiful new ballpark built by and named after Padres minority owner Alfredo Harp Helu."

"It will be an honor to represent Major League Baseball, as well as San Francisco, at historic Mexico City for the first time ever," added Giants president Larry Baer. "We look forward to bringing the Giants and Padres rivalry to a passionate sports fan base and it will be a great opportunity to introduce the Giants to an international audience to further develop new fans across all of Mexico."