The Major League baseball season is wrapping up, with playoffs getting underway next week. But south of the border, the Mexican baseball season is just getting started. Teams from the Mexican leagues are in their preseason, with games here in Arizona. The Mexican Baseball Fiesta is an organized effort to expose Mexican baseball to new audiences.
The event is held at three separate fields in Tucson, Phoenix and Glendale. It began in 2011 when co-founder Francisco Gamez wanted to introduce the Mexican Pacific League to Arizona, starting with Tucson. Gamez played for the Milwaukee Brewers for ten years before playing with Naranjeros de Hermosillo for another eight. He said the organization has grown over the decade with more teams training in the United States.
“A lot of teams also to train because in the beginning it was just to come and play,” Gamez said. “Hermosillo spends three weeks training in Tucson, the other teams, they spend about a week training here and then they play games.”
They’ve also played games in San Luis, Arizona, and Las Vegas. This is the first year the event will take place in Glendale at Camelback Ranch, hoping to attract fans from the large Hispanic community in the West Valley.
Next week, teams will go to Tucson, where Naranjeros will face University of Arizona’s team. Gamez said the partnership began in 2016 when he reached out to former Arizona baseball coach Jay Johnson.
“We know because I have lived in Tucson since 2006. I know how big U of A is for our people here in Tucson in general,” Gamez said.
He added that they are talking with ASU’s baseball team about a possible collaboration in the future.
