The ‘Major League World Tour Mexico City Series’ promoted by the US Major League (ML) Secretariat as part of ‘globalization of baseball’ was held in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, at the end of last month. This two-game series, in which San Diego and San Francisco faced each other, received enthusiastic support from local baseball fans. However, dissatisfaction was also raised by the participating players.
Baseball reporter Bob Nightingale of USA Today told Star News the story behind the series, which he recently met at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona.
He said, “San Francisco outfielder Zak Pederson (31) and a number of teammates suffered stomach upset accompanied by diarrhea while staying in Mexico, and the players were dissatisfied with the heavy traffic between the hotel and the ballpark.”
“Pederson and some of the players complained about the Mexico City series to such an extent that they said they would never compete abroad again,” Nightingale added.
It was in August 1996 that the Major League Secretariat began to play regular season games abroad. The New York Mets and San Diego played three straight games in Monterrey, Mexico. Three years later, in April 1999, Colorado and San Diego played one game at the same place.
Afterwards, the major leagues moved to Tokyo, Japan, and from 2000 to 2012, a total of four regular season opening games were played in Japan. In 2014, Ryu Hyun-jin (36, Toronto)’s former team, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona, had their first three opening games in Australia.
Dodgers midfielder JP Howell (40, retired), who had been to Australia at the time, said in an interview with Star News, “With the consideration of the club, my wife and I moved to Australia on a comfortable chartered flight. It was 1:00 in the morning when we arrived there, so it was a big deal to adjust to the jet lag. There were no difficulties,” he said.먹튀검증
Howell continued, “I liked the scenery of Australia’s beaches, and I was grateful for the hospitality of the baseball fans there, but it was difficult because of the 29-hour round-trip travel time.” did.
The Major League Secretariat, which is promoting the ‘globalization of baseball’, plans to create an official brand called ‘Major League World Tour’ for games played overseas from this year and continue to do so in the future. At the end of June, the St. Louis and Chicago Cubs will have a two-game series in London, England. Recently, there was a report that San Diego and the Dodgers are planning to hold their season opener in Korea next year.
However, fatigue due to long travel distances and jet lag during the season, and health problems that can occur due to water changes and food are expected to be variables in continuing the ‘Major League World Tour’.