Nearly 1,500 miles away from San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico City looks and feels different from the cross-border region.
The contrasts between the two are particularly notable in the architecture, high-altitude environment and fast-paced lifestyle of the many people who live in Mexico City.
It's also one of the largest cities in the world and the capital of Mexico.
Now, this sky-scraping mega-metropolis is ready to host its first-ever regular season Major League Baseball games, featuring a team that’s already familiar to Mexican fans.
“No team has played more games in Mexico over the years, and that's by design,” said Padres CEO Erik Greupner.
The Mexico City series will put the San Diego Padres on the biggest stage they’ve ever had south of the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We've got a lot of native Spanish-speaking players, and though they may not be Mexican, they can connect with these fans. They speak the same language, they’re idolized by the sports fans here in Mexico. Three of the most popular players in Mexico are Padres — Tatis, Soto and Machado,” Greupner said.
There are a lot of festivities and decorations set for this weekend’s matchup, but ahead of the games, the Padres took time to connect with local youth from the town to teach them a thing or two about the fundamentals of baseball.
“I feel really good because it's like a dream with me because I really like the San Diego team,” said 10-year old Maximo Melendez.
He took part in the clinic alongside 250 other young girls and boys, many of whom were dressed up in the new Padres pink, yellow and teal City Connect jerseys.
A large number of the Mexico City youth players at the clinic were dedicated fans of the team.
“Our favorite player is Juan Soto,” shouted a group of young boys. “And Tatis Jr., Tatis Jr. is a super player!”
Padres star third baseman Manny Machado was one of players at the clinic showing the kids some tips. He explained what the event and series means to him.
“What all these players came out here to do and just give these kids a little time, I think it's going to go a long way. Not just for these kids but for everyone in this whole country. I think we're doing special things in baseball and this is just the beginning of special things to come,” Machado said.
After spending an hour or so of their Friday afternoon at the youth baseball clinic, the team headed over to their temporary home stadium.
It's a ballpark with deep ties to San Diego — including being built by and named after Padres minority owner Alfredo Harp Helu.
“This is the second time we’ll be playing in his beautiful estadio,” Greupner said. “It opened for the first time four years ago and we helped inaugurate it with a minor league game. We’re just excited to be with Alfredo, play in his beautiful stadium and hopefully get a couple of wins against the Giants.”
It's also the normal home stadium for the Mexico Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos team. Miguel Ojeda is the sports director for the Mexico City squad and a former Padre himself.
“There's a lot of connections. And to me having that opportunity to represent Diablos and represent the San Diego Padres once, that's priceless,” he said.
The roughly 20,000-seat stadium is sold out for both Saturday and Sunday. Fans from the U.S. and Mexico will pack the stands for the games between the Padres and the San Francisco Giants, in an event that is expected to further strengthen the Padres’ influence south of the border.
