Baseball teams from Mexico City and Monterrey will play the Mexican League's first-ever regular season game in Los Angeles, squaring off on May 16 at Dodger Stadium.
The game between the Diablos Rojos of Mexico City and the Sultanes of Monterrey will be a rematch of the 2008 championship series. The Mexico City team won its record 15th championship by beating Monterrey by four games to one in 2008.
The Mexican League has been in existence for more than 80 years, but baseball has long trailed soccer and other sports in popularity throughout the country. The Mexican League has seen some of its players become successful in the U.S. major leagues here, with former Dodgers great Fernando Valenzuela the best-known example. Mexico has traditionally trailed other Latin American countries in baseball, though, with the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Venezuela and Colombia sending more players to the U.S. major leagues.
Mexico's representative recently performed very well in the annual Caribbean World Series — which pits squads from many Latin American countries against one another in a tournament format. The Mazatlan Venados — who play in the Mexican League of the Pacific, which includes mostly warm-weather cities and plays a winter schedule — finished second to the Tigres of Aragua, Venezuela, in the Caribbean tourney.
The upcoming game at Dodger Stadium will come approximately two months after Dodger Stadium hosts the World Baseball Classic, a once-every-four years tournament that is open to national teams from countries around the world. The World Baseball Classic is expected to see teams from Mexico and various other Latin American countries compete.
Joseph Reaves, director of international relations for the Dodgers, said the game between the Mexican League teams will give the franchise another chance to strengthen links across borders.
"We have a long-standing relationship with our fans both in Mexico and those of Mexican descent around the world and we do not take that for granted," Reaves said. "This historic game will provide our fans with a chance to see the two most storied franchises in that country play at one of the most storied stadiums in America. We're excited to open our doors to our neighbors and hope that this will continue to help spread the game of baseball internationally."
Article by Garment & Citizen staff
Photo from www.diablos.com.mx
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