Giants' first Mexico City experience 'unfair' for pitchers in loss to Padres
Giants' first Mexico City experience 'unfair' for pitchers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
MEXICO CITY -- As replay officials spent several minutes zooming in on what looked to be a historic home run, Brandon Crawford walked over to the Giants dugout at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú and grabbed a water bottle. At 7,349 feet, even a slow home run jog can leave one parched.
The ball was ruled foul by inches, so Crawford walked up to the plate and simply did it again, leaving no doubt this time. The homer was the first of an astounding 11 between the Giants and San Diego Padres, and it reminded Crawford of a time when he hit a long home run foul in high school and then immediately straightened up.
This experience, two decades later, left Crawford with a different feeling.
“Tiring, honestly,” he said, smiling. “But I didn’t mind.”
Not all of the Giants felt that way.
The first regular-season MLB game in Mexico City ended with the Padres winning 16-11, and left the Giants physically tired and somewhat tired of this showcase series after just nine innings.
As they walked to their buses, one member of the traveling party referred to the environment as “not baseball.” Another had some choice words for MLB.
Before the game, a member of the ownership group said the Giants intend to “raise their hand” when another Mexico City series comes up down the line. The pitching staff might tackle anyone who tries.
The Giants tied an SF-era franchise record by allowing six homers, including what appeared to be a pop-up by Fernando Tatis Jr. that had a hit probability of just seven percent, and a liner by Juan Soto that might have been an out at Oracle Park.
Five of the six Giants who took the mound gave up runs and four were hit for multiple runs. Jakob Junis and Scott Alexander saw their ERAs get destroyed. The staff gave up 17 hits and never faced fewer than five batters in an inning.
“I got a chance to go out there during batting practice and see the ball fly and just ask a few players, ‘Is it real, is it really going to be carrying like we think it will be?’ The answer to that question was yes," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
“Obviously we saw that if the ball got up in the air it was going to go far. It was kind of as advertised, if not even more of a hitter-friendly environment.”
Kapler said on Friday that the key would be staying in the zone, but that was easier said than done for a staff that saw what would happen if you allowed a Padre to put the ball in the air.
“Our pitchers were trying to calibrate,” Kapler said. “It was kind of difficult to calibrate fast enough.”
The reviews weren’t all negative, although it kind of depended on whether you asked a pitcher or hitter. Thairo Estrada, who had four hits, called the game “incredible” and “fun,” but noted it would have been more enjoyable had the Giants won.
Blake Sabol, who homered, said it was the “first of its kind, for sure.” But he added that it wasn’t a kind environment for his pitchers, and it could impact some guys down the line.
“Working with the pitching staff, it almost looked somewhat unfair for pitchers,” the catcher said. “You saw some guys on their side that are having great seasons and they give up a couple of homers and it still counts toward their record when they go to arbitration or they go get their contract, those numbers count. From a hitting standpoint, obviously it’s nice to be able to pad our stats, but from a catching and pitching standpoint, it just seems a little tough.
“We’re higher up than Coors Field but Coors Field’s dimensions are much larger than they are here.”
Crawford was removed as a precaution after feeling some calf tightness, but he enjoyed the half of the game he participated in. The homer was his first internationally and (very) briefly gave him the record for hitting a homer at the highest elevation. LaMonte Wade Jr. crushed one six pitches later to match him.
“Obviously the result wasn’t fun, but most of the game was fun,” Crawford said. “The crowd was great and I personally enjoy watching homers. I’m sure the pitchers feel otherwise.”
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The crowd was pro-Padres, but gave Sergio Romo a huge ovation when he danced to El Mechon before the first pitch and reacted with delight during all of the scoring. It was a reminder of how incredible a baseball environment can be in Mexico, and the league office is surely using this trip to try and figure out whether Mexico City should get an expansion team at some point.
Asked if he thought that would be a good idea, Manaea paused.
“I mean, if they’re cool with the average ERA being a six,” he said.
