MLB
MEXICO CITY — Just a few hours earlier than the Yankees and Diablos Rojos del Mexico squared off in an exhibition sport Sunday, supervisor Aaron Boone needed to reply for why his membership didn’t carry all of its stars.
The Yankees had Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Volpe, Jose Trevino and Oswaldo Cabrera, plus relievers Victor Gonzalez and Jonathan Loaisiga.
Staying again in Tampa for varied causes, although, have been Aaron Choose, Juan Soto, Alex Verdugo, the whole rotation and extra to complete out spring coaching.
However just a few hours later, even earlier than the primary pitch was thrown, the environment inside Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú lifted the sport to a different stage.
The Diablos Rojos’ 4-3 win over the Yankees was a three-hour celebration full of nonstop chants, horns, music and a energetic sellout crowd of 20,735 that dwarfed something the Yankees might need skilled again within the Grapefruit League.
“The environment exceeded every thing [I expected],” Volpe mentioned after the sport.
“It was fairly superior on the market, man,” added Stanton, an avid traveler who was one of many proponents of enjoying in Mexico Metropolis after seeing a Unhealthy Bunny live performance at a soccer stadium — which had an “insane” environment — right here two years in the past.
The Yankees’ first video games in Mexico since 1968 — when a Mickey Mantle-led roster confronted Diablos Rojos — got here at a less-than-ideal time, only a few days from Opening Day and most of their unsettled roster staying again in Tampa to finish spring coaching.
However people who did make the journey relished the surroundings, even when they have been feeling the consequences of enjoying on the excessive altitude (although the baseballs didn’t fly after being stored in a humidor to offset the skinny air).
“What a terrific expertise,” Boone mentioned. “A lot vitality, a lot enjoyable for us to all expertise baseball on this surroundings.”
“It didn’t really feel like a spring coaching sport,” Trevino mentioned. “I felt prefer it was a game-game.”
Trevor Bauer, who has not pitched in MLB since serving a 194-game suspension for violating MLB’s home violence coverage, began the sport for Diablos Rojos and threw three shutout innings.
But it surely changed into what Boone known as “The Robinson Cano Present,” as the previous Yankees second baseman went 3-for-4 with a house run, double and two RBIs together with his new group.
The 41-year-old Cano spent a lot of pregame Sunday catching up with Yankees personnel — he talked about just a few occasions occupied with the “good previous days” — after which caught the ceremonial first pitch from former teammate and Corridor of Fame nearer Mariano Rivera.
Cano hasn’t appeared within the majors since 2022 — a yr after he was suspended 162 video games for a second violation of MLB’s performance-enhancing drug coverage — when he break up time among the many Mets, Padres and Braves.
However the left-handed slugger had a easy purpose for why he’s nonetheless enjoying.
“As a result of I really like baseball,” he mentioned. “Individuals don’t perceive that typically. It’s straightforward to inform somebody, ‘Simply go retire.’ However I believe so long as I can do it and I can play and I could be on the sector, I can do it.”
As for Bauer, he mentioned the prospect to pitch in opposition to the Yankees performed an element in his resolution to signal with Diablos Rojos, for whom he’ll spend no less than the following month pitching.
He has supplied to signal with an MLB group for the league minimal however has not but gotten any takers.
“I don’t know what the longer term goes to carry,” mentioned Bauer, who pitched final season in Japan. “I do know I like enjoying baseball. I wished to play. I really like the worldwide baseball. I wouldn’t thoughts staying right here; I wouldn’t thoughts enjoying in Japan. I’d prefer to play within the massive leagues once more. … We’ll see.”
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