9 amazing facts and long-distance stats from historic Mexico opener
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The first regular-season MLB game in Mexico City provided plenty of fireworks, as the Padres defeated the Giants, 16-11. Do you know what else comes with fireworks? Fun facts aplenty.
Here are nine stats and facts to know from a fun Saturday night game.
The history
? The Padres and Giants each hit back-to-back homers twice in the game. It was the first time in MLB history that both teams had multiple distinct home run streaks in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Why the "distinct" wording? On April 9, 2000, the Twins and Royals each hit back-to-back-to-back homers. That¡¯s also a great feat, and technically is two back-to-backs per team, but certainly differs from four separate streaks in a game.
? The two teams combined for 11 homers, two shy of the record for a single game, from 10 different players. That's tied for the most players with a home run in a game in AL/NL history, with the Diamondbacks at Phillies on June 10, 2019, and Mets at Phillies on Aug. 24, 2015, per Elias.
? Nelson Cruz had himself a day, becoming the oldest player in Padres history with a homer, surpassing Rickey Henderson¡¯s 42 years and 283 days on Oct. 4, 2001. At 42 years and 302 days, Cruz became the second-oldest player since 1900 with a five-hit game, younger than only Pete Rose (8/11/86: 45 years, 119 days). Cruz added a stolen base, too.
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? Xander Bogaerts¡¯ home run put him in a unique club. The Padres shortstop has a homer in four different countries -- the United States, Canada, England and now Mexico. He¡¯s the third player with a regular-season home run in four countries or territories, along with Tony Clark and Michael Brantley, who have homered in three countries as well as Puerto Rico.
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The distances
Estadio Alfredo Harp Hel¨² is at higher elevation than Coors Field, making for some record-breaking home run feats.
? Brandon Crawford¡¯s homer went 482 feet, making it the longest home run by a Giants player in the Statcast Era (since 2015, including playoffs). The prior record had been 480 feet by Alex Dickerson at Coors Field in 2020.
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? The Padres and Giants combined for seven 440-plus-foot homers. That¡¯s the most combined 440-foot home runs in a game in the Statcast Era, according to research by MLB¡¯s Jason Bernard. The prior mark was four in four different games, all at Coors Field.
? The Padres had four of those 440-foot homers, from Bogaerts (455 feet), Juan Soto (448 feet), Manny Machado (442 feet) and Cruz (442 feet). That¡¯s tied with the Rockies on June 26, 2016, at Coors Field for the most by one team in a game since ¡®15.
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? The teams combined for four 450-plus-foot homers among those seven 440s. That¡¯s the most combined 450-foot home runs in a game in the Statcast Era, according to Bernard. The prior most was three in six different games.
? The Giants had three of those 450-foot homers, from Crawford (482 feet), LaMonte Wade Jr. (474 feet) and Mitch Haniger (456 feet). That¡¯s tied for the most by one team in a game since ¡®15, with the Rockies in the aforementioned June 26, 2016, game and the Pirates on April 22, 2016, at Chase Field.
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