D-backs set to play first-ever regular-season MLB games in Mexico City

The Arizona Diamondbacks are headed down south a little later on the calendar in 2020.

The team announced Tuesday it will play a two-game series against the San Diego Padres in Mexico City on April 18-19.

The matchups will be the first meetings between the two clubs of the 2020 season, and will be played at the newly built Alfredo Harp Helu Stadium.

“The D-backs are committed to spreading our game internationally and specifically throughout Mexico, where we have thousands of loyal fans across the country,” D-backs president & CEO Derrick Hall said in a press release.

“As a member of MLB’s International Committee, I’ve seen first-hand the incredible efforts made on a league-wide level to help grow the sport of baseball across the globe and we are honored to be selected to play in Mexico City.”

While the tilts represent two of the first-ever regular-season games to be played in Mexico, playing down south isn’t that foreign to the D-backs.

During spring training last year, the D-backs traveled to Monterrey, Mexico for a two-game series against another NL West foe in the Colorado Rockies. The games marked the 11th time Arizona has played down south, the most by any MLB team.

The D-backs have also played the Brewers (1998 and 1999), the Angels (2000), the Athletics (2001), the Padres (2002), the Royals (2003), the White Sox (2008), Team Mexico (2009) and the Rockies (2010 and 2015) in Hermosillo, Sonora. Arizona also went to Australia to open the 2014 MLB regular season and play the Dodgers.

Before the team leaves for Mexico, Arizona will face the Colorado Rockies (April 10-12) and Pittsburgh Pirates (April 14-16) at home, with a day off on April 17. Following the two-game series, the D-backs will have an off day on April 20 before traveling to Atlanta to take on the Braves (April 21-23). The team’s first home game since returning to the U.S. will be played on April 28 against the Houston Astros.

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