Mexico

Mexico is a country in North America that has been home to professional baseball since 1925, thanks to the presence of the Mexican League. Additionally, several other leagues have existed in Mexico, including the winter-season Mexican Pacific League and some low minor leagues, such as the Mexican Center League in the country proper, and others that have crossed the border with the United States such as the Arizona-Mexico League.

The first Mexican player to appear in the majors was Mel Almada, who made his major-league debut in 1933. After that a steady stream of players has come from Mexico, including MLB stars like Bobby Avila, Fernando Valenzuela, Vinny Castilla and Teddy Higuera.

Major league games have been played in the country on a number of occasions, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, which hosted a three-game series between the San Diego Padres and New York Mets on August 16-18, 1996, and a single game between the Colorado Rockies and the Padres on April 4, 1999. Major League Baseball returned to Mexico on May 4-6, 2018 for a three-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres. In 2023, major league games were played in the capital, Mexico City, for the first time.

At the international level, the Mexican national team has taken part in all editions of the World Baseball Classic, as well as the Olympics, Pan-American Games, Baseball World Cup and many other international competitions, although it has rarely been among the top teams in these events.

One of the 31 states that form the country is also called México. The country's capital, called Mexico City in English, is properly only México as well in Spanish, leading to additional confusion about whether one is referring to the country, the state or the city.

Further Reading

• Michael Clair: "Team Mexico inspires the future of Mexican baseball", mlb.com, April 28, 2023. [1]
• Michael Clair: "One fan's collection covers every Mexican-born Major Leaguer in history", mlb.com, April 25, 2024. [2]
• Brian McTaggart: "MLB sees opportunity for growth in Mexico", mlb.com, March 26, 2016. [3]
• Ricardo Montes de Oca: "Mexico's place in baseball continues to grow on international stage", mlb.com, February 4, 2024. [4]
• Jesse Sanchez: "Game of baseball flourishing in Mexico: Host of Caribbean Series has seen growth of sport in recent years", mlb.com, February 2, 2018. [5]