For the New York Yankees, their recent journey south of the border marks a significant occasion, marking their first such trip in over five decades. While it may only entail two exhibition games for the Yankees, the visit holds immense significance for many Mexican fans and the host team, Diablos Rojos, fulfilling a long-held dream.
The Yankees last played in Mexico back in 1968, where they participated in a two-game exhibition series at the now-defunct Parque Delta, resulting in a split outcome.
Although there had been hopes from the management of Diablos Rojos to replicate such an event, it wasn’t until the appointment of Omar Minaya as senior adviser for baseball operations with the Yankees that the idea materialized.
Othón Díaz, the team’s president, explained, “Alfredo (Harp Helú, the Diablos owner) is close friends with Omar Minaya, and that facilitated everything. We expressed to them the profound significance it would hold for us to host them again, and they agreed.”
According to the Major League Baseball office in Mexico, the Yankees rank as the most popular team in the country, followed by the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Boston Red Sox. Díaz attributed their success in securing the games to their hosting of an MLB regular-season series between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants, which demonstrated to the Yankees’ front office the potential of Mexico City and Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium as suitable hosts.
The Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium, boasting a $160 million investment, debuted in March 2019 and has a seating capacity of 20,000.