Padres’ batters feast in Mexico City altitude

MEXICO CITY – The mariachi band performed between innings, and the sellout crowd at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú sang alongside in unison. When Nelson Cruz launched a no-doubt dwelling run within the third inning, Fernando Tatis Jr. greeted him on the prime step to bestow him with a sombrero. When Manny Machado hit a two-run homer to place the Padres on prime within the seventh, the ballpark erupted.

On a heat Saturday night in Mexico City, the Padres’ gradual begin felt prefer it was 2,000 miles away. Because it was. Their offensive struggles? More of an issue for sea stage.

The Padres and Giants introduced large league baseball to the Mexican capital for the very first time on Saturday. And they did so with an altitude-aided offensive show for the ages.

Five Padres went deep — together with Machado twice — because the Padres slugged their technique to a 16-11 victory over the Giants at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú – altitude 7,300 ft. The two groups mixed for 11 dwelling runs, two shy of the Major League report set by the D-backs and Phillies in 2019. Ten completely different gamers went deep, equaling the Major League mark set in that very same sport.

Not that an surroundings like this one essentially wanted the offense. The occasion began early and lasted into the night time. The ballpark buzzed lengthy earlier than first pitch, with gates open three hours early to permit followers to catch the complete batting observe for each groups. Horns blared. The wave broke out a number of instances. When the motion on the sphere slowed — uncommon, in a sport like this — followers danced to native tunes, typically performed by a mariachi band behind dwelling plate.

At the tip of all of it got here a fireworks show — not that any fireworks may’ve topped these the Padres and Giants set off over 9 wild innings on Saturday night time.

With 9 extra to come back on Sunday.