A dream comes true as Yankees meet 'Yankees of Mexico'

MEXICO CITY -- It was two offseasons ago that Giancarlo Stanton had his passport stamped during a trip to Mexico City, a place about which he’d heard “great things” and wanted to experience for himself. He toured the historic pyramids of Teotihuacán, then sampled a selection of restaurants that somehow improved upon the cultural flavors he’d loved as a kid in Los Angeles.

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Everywhere Stanton went, including a Bad Bunny concert, he spotted men and women wearing caps with a certain famous interlocking "NY." The experience sparked this germ of an idea: What if the Yankees could play here? It became reality on Sunday, as the “Bombarderos” sported their pinstripes in the opener of a two-game exhibition series against the Diablos Rojos del México at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú.

“It was pretty awesome out there,” Stanton said after the Yankees’ 4-3 loss. “The atmosphere was great throughout the game. I feel like the fans were engaged the whole time; they were excited. It was fun.”

A festive, enthusiastic crowd chanted, clapped and whirled noisemakers throughout the event. Everyone scored something to remember: Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera tossed a ceremonial first pitch to the Diablos Rojos’ Robinson Canó, who later cleared the right-field wall with a fourth-inning homer off Tanner Tully.

“It didn’t feel like a Spring Training game,” said catcher Jose Trevino. “I felt like this was a game-game. We were playing a baseball game.”

Stanton likened the energy to the World Baseball Classic, and indeed, it felt that way. Saturday’s contest marked the Yankees’ first visit to Mexico City since March 1968, Mickey Mantle’s final season with the club. It was not anyone’s run-of-the-mill, four-days-‘til-Opening Day spring snoozer.

“Anytime we can bring the pinstripes and the ‘NY’ to a country like Mexico, and bring attention to this game of baseball that we all love,” said manager Aaron Boone, “I think it’s a big deal all around. I certainly understand how big a deal it is in Mexico City and beyond. I’m excited to be a part of it.”

It was an appropriate pairing: The Diablos Rojos are frequently referred to as the “Yankees of Mexico,” as the two teams hold the most titles in their leagues. The 41-year-old Cano, playing more now for love of the game than hope of a return to the Majors, noted: “There’s a lot of Yankee fans here. Everywhere I go, there’s always at least one person who comes to say hi.”

Omar Minaya, a senior advisor of baseball operations with the Yankees, said that Stanton’s influence in spurring the Mexico City trip was “huge.” Talk of the trip began circulating throughout the front office last summer, with Trevino also among those driving the conversation.

“This was led by the players, and then we as an organization followed through with it,” Minaya said. “Nobody thought it could happen, and we made it happen. This is not only a Yankee-Diablos game. This is an event.”

Ideally, the Yankees could have brought their entire roster to Mexico City. Minaya said that was logistically impossible, since the Spring Training schedule was already set when the Yankees and the Diablos Rojos finalized their series in January. That schedule had the Yankees playing against the Pirates and Mets in Florida; Minaya said that waiting for clear dates would have pushed the Mexico City series to 2025.

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Boone said that the two days leading into the trip were stressful, as several changes needed to be made. Juan Soto was one scratch, as the outfielder expressed a preference to continue working on his swing in Tampa, Fla. Alex Verdugo, who twice played for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, was also removed because his girlfriend is in the late stages of pregnancy.

Those who attended, however, loved what they experienced. Stanton good-naturedly tried on a lucha libre mask during his pregame press conference; Trevino scored one of his own, and he expressed hope that he might be able to witness an authentic Mexican wrestling show later Sunday evening.

Oswaldo Cabrera noticed the high altitude while taking pregame ground balls; Boone said some of the coaches had felt it much earlier, feeling a bit winded just by climbing stairs. Cabrera said that once the game started, everything felt normal.

“This is how the game is in Latin America,” Cabrera said. “It feels like the postseason in the USA. It was an amazing experience for me.”

The crowd roared when Anthony Volpe flied out to the warning track in right field to lead off the game, robbed of extra bases on a nice play by Aristides Aquino.

Held to four hits and two walks over the first three innings, the Yanks staged a late rally against the Diablos Rojos’ bullpen, a contest that also featured Victor González and Jonathan Loáisiga pitching in front of their families for the first times as Yankees.

“Honestly, there was a lot at once today,” Stanton said. “The buzz of us being here was really cool. For as long as I’ve played the game, it’s always cool to be in a new place. So I’ll take that.”