Mexico City baseball an explosion colors and home runs for Giants, Padres

MEXICO CITY — With the colorful luchador masks dotting the sold-out stands, the vendors hawking cervezas and the mariachi band that serenaded a captivated crowd between the second and third innings, there was no mistaking where the San Francisco Giants were playing baseball Saturday afternoon.

“You can see anything from cowboy hats to gorilla outfits to big blowup heads that guys are wearing, little maraca-type noisemakers, there’s all these things that you can find, especially out here in Mexico,” said Sergio Romo, the former Giants closer of Mexican heritage serving as a crowd-favorite ambassador on this trip (who was swarmed by fans at every turn and estimated he signed about “two hours worth” of autographs).

With the Giants the designated visiting team — and 16-11 losers in a home run marathon against the San Diego Padres — there was also no mistaking the rooting preferences of at least three-quarters of the fans, giving loud cheers for the Padres’ Latin-loaded lineup and even dispersing a few boos when Giants players appeared on the scoreboard. But the excitement for the first MLB game ever in the Mexican capital of 22 million was palpable from the time the gates opened to the final out 3 hours and 44 minutes later.

There were 19,611 fans in the ballpark (capacity 20,233), some rooting for the Giants.

Fabian Maciny, 22, grew up here in Mexico City, where he started taking art lessons when he was 5 and had his first showing by 9 years old. He used those skills to create a one-of-a-kind souvenir, painting the Giants logo on the front of a straw cowboy hat, a popular accessory here. Staking out a spot by the Giants dugout pregame, he filled it up with signatures from various Giants, including Romo, who even modeled it on his own head.

“That was pretty cool,” Romo said.

“We don’t have the opportunity to have this level of baseball right here,” said Maciny, attending his first MLB game. “Here in the city it’s not that popular of a sport. But in the whole country, I’d say the first sport is soccer but then baseball. It’s very popular.”

Tickets for the highly anticipated two-game series sold out almost immediately.

Alex Lourdeaux, who was born and raised a Giants fan in the Bay Area, set an alarm and still missed the VIP tickets, which sold out first. He moved to Mexico about six years ago, and he recognized the unique opportunity to see his hometown club, so much so that he and his family made the approximately two-hour flight from Playa Del Carmen to attend both games this weekend.

“I used to go to Candlestick Park as a kid,” he said. “It’s amazing. When they announced this game, I was like when do tickets go on sale? I’m absolutely going. Welcome the Giants to Mexico.”

Everybody in attendance recognized the Banda beat that began to play shortly before the ceremonial first pitch, after players took the field to Opening Day-like introductions, complete with a red carpet lined with sparklers. It was Romo’s intro music, “El Mechon,” which was followed by AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells,” the warm-up track for Padres Hall-of-Fame closer Trevor Hoffman. The two teams’ former closers threw out dual first pitches, which Romo said was easily the highlight of an overwhelming but extremely fulfilling day. He even began to mamba on the mound to the beat of his favorite track.

“I got so excited I started dancing,” Romo said.

And that would seem to sum up the feelings of everyone in attendance Saturday, who witnessed what amounted to a home run derby.

Playing at an altitude 2,000 feet higher than Colorado’s Coors Field, in a ballpark with similar dimensions to Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark, the over/under for runs Saturday was set at 17.5. The teams topped that in the bottom of the fifth, when Manny Machado followed Fernando Tatis Jr.’s home run with one of his own, the Padres’ second set of back-to-back dingers on the day.

The Giants also went back-to-back twice.

Brandon Crawford nearly became the brief record holder for the highest-elevation home run in MLB history, with a curving line drive down the right field line in the third inning. He rounded all the bases, only to be called back to home plate after it was ruled foul on video review. But he wouldn’t be denied. On the next pitch, he launched a shot 455 feet to left-center, the first of 11 home runs between the two teams Saturday, followed by another by LaMonte Wade Jr. The Giants gave up six home runs, matching the team record for most in a nine-inning game.

After falling behind 10-8, the Giants retook the lead in the seventh with another pair of consecutive homers from Blake Sabol and David Villar.

Watching from press row in the fourth inning, Romo remarked, “Oh my goodness,” as Mitch Haniger sent a homer three-quarters of the way up the left-field stands.

“OK, that ball gets out in the states, too. That ball gets out in any ballpark,” Romo said. “But they would have to do something here with the altitude like they do in Colorado.”

Romo was envisioning the scenario in which Major League Baseball comes to North America’s largest city full-time. He was thinking expansion, which was hard not to imagine given the passion the fanbase showed Saturday in its first experience with regular-season MLB.

“I do feel if they were to bring a team out there, and I do believe that this city is very, very, capable and has the capacity, the fanbase, the people. It has the amenities around – it’s got Aztec temples, it’s got cathedrals, it’s got great hiking trails, it’s got great food, shopping – everything about it,” Romo said. “Imagine a major league ballpark in a place like this, it would be sold out every night. You know what I’m saying?”