SF Giants and Padres will play two-game series in Mexico City next year

MLB announced that the SF Giants will be a part of MLB history next season when they take on the San Diego Padres for a two-game series on April 29-30. While the Padres will be the home team in both matchups, those games will mark the first MLB regular-season games to take place in Mexico City.

The Padres franchise has played south of the US-Mexico border multiple times before. San Diego played in Mexico City, hosting the Astros in a two-game exhibition in 2016. They also have been a part of three regular-season series in Monterrey, Mexico. The Padres played the Dodgers in 2018, Rockies in 1999, and Mets in 1996.

On the other hand, the Giants have never played an international game before. The only significant neutral-site games took place in 2004 when they played the Montreal Expos in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

While the Giants do not have the star power of their division rivals, who will likely have Manny Machado, Juan Soto, and Joe Musgrove taking the field in Mexico City. However, Giants outfielder Luis González is one of the few natives of Mexico currently playing in MLB. Gonzálezwas born in Hermosillo, Mexico before immigrating to the United States when he was nine.

González was asked about the announcement by members of the Giants press corp. He said, "It’s really cool to see MLB doing that, kind of expanding the fan base and getting more countries involved in baseball. You see basketball do it. You see UFC do it big time now. It’s cool to get out there and show the game to the whole world."

While González is not guaranteed a spot on the Giants roster next season, he was asked what it would mean to play a MLB game in his home country. He said, “That’s something that I’ve been looking forward to since I was 14 and I started playing organized baseball... I always wanted to go back to Mexico and play with old friends, back where I grew up. For me to be able to go back to Mexico next year, it’s a very, uh – what’s the word – emotionally cool. It’d just be sick.”

If González finishes the season strong, he has a chance to solidify his role with the SF Giants in 2023 and give him a chance to be in the lineup when they head to Mexico.

Published Aug 31, 2022

MARC DELUCCHI

Marc Delucchi (he/they/she) serves as the Managing Editor at Giants Baseball Insider, leading their SF Giants coverage. As a freelance journalist, he has previously covered the San Francisco Giants at Around the Foghorn and McCovey Chronicles. He also currently contributes to Niners Nation, Golden State of Mind, and Baseball Prospectus. He has previously been featured in several other publications, including SFGate, ProFootballRumors, Niners Wire, GrandStand Central, Call to the Pen, and Just Baseball. Over his journalistic career, Marc has conducted investigations into how one prep baseball player lost a college opportunity during the pandemic (Baseball Prospectus) and the rampant mistreatment of players at the University of Hawaii football program under former head coach Todd Graham (SFGate). He has also broken dozens of news stories around professional baseball, primarily around the SF Giants organization, including the draft signing of Kyle Harrison, injuries and promotions to top prospects like Heliot Ramos, and trade details in the Kris Bryant deal. Marc received a Bachelor's degree from Kenyon College with a major in economics and a minor in Spanish. During his time in college, he conducted a summer research project attempting to predict the future minor-league performance of NCAA hitters, worked as a data analyst for the school's Women's basketball team, and worked as a play-by-play announcer/color commentator for the basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams. He also worked as an amateur baseball scout with the Collegiate Baseball Scouting Network (later renamed Evolution Metrix), scouting high school and college players for three draft cycles. For tips and inquiries, feel free to reach out to Marc directly on Twitter or via email (delucchimarc@gmail.com).

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