9 amazing facts and long-distance stats from historic Mexico opener
The first regular-season MLB game in Mexico City provided plenty of fireworks, as the Padres defeated the Giants, 16-11. Do you know what else comes with fireworks? Fun facts aplenty.
Here are nine stats and facts to know from a fun Saturday night game.
The history
• The Padres and Giants each hit back-to-back homers twice in the game. It was the first time in MLB history that both teams had multiple distinct home run streaks in a game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Why the "distinct" wording? On April 9, 2000, the Twins and Royals each hit back-to-back-to-back homers. That’s also a great feat, and technically is two back-to-backs per team, but certainly differs from four separate streaks in a game.
• The two teams combined for 11 homers, two shy of the record for a single game, from 10 different players. That's tied for the most players with a home run in a game in AL/NL history, with the Diamondbacks at Phillies on June 10, 2019, and Mets at Phillies on Aug. 24, 2015, per Elias.
• Nelson Cruz had himself a day, becoming the oldest player in Padres history with a homer, surpassing Rickey Henderson’s 42 years and 283 days on Oct. 4, 2001. At 42 years and 302 days, Cruz became the second-oldest player since 1900 with a five-hit game, younger than only Pete Rose (8/11/86: 45 years, 119 days). Cruz added a stolen base, too.
• Xander Bogaerts’ home run put him in a unique club. The Padres shortstop has a homer in four different countries -- the United States, Canada, England and now Mexico. He’s the third player with a regular-season home run in four countries or territories, along with Tony Clark and Michael Brantley, who have homered in three countries as well as Puerto Rico.
The distances
Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú is at higher elevation than Coors Field, making for some record-breaking home run feats.
• Brandon Crawford’s homer went 482 feet, making it the longest home run by a Giants player in the Statcast Era (since 2015, including playoffs). The prior record had been 480 feet by Alex Dickerson at Coors Field in 2020.
• The Padres and Giants combined for seven 440-plus-foot homers. That’s the most combined 440-foot home runs in a game in the Statcast Era, according to research by MLB’s Jason Bernard. The prior mark was four in four different games, all at Coors Field.
• The Padres had four of those 440-foot homers, from Bogaerts (455 feet), Juan Soto (448 feet), Manny Machado (442 feet) and Cruz (442 feet). That’s tied with the Rockies on June 26, 2016, at Coors Field for the most by one team in a game since ‘15.
• The teams combined for four 450-plus-foot homers among those seven 440s. That’s the most combined 450-foot home runs in a game in the Statcast Era, according to Bernard. The prior most was three in six different games.
• The Giants had three of those 450-foot homers, from Crawford (482 feet), LaMonte Wade Jr. (474 feet) and Mitch Haniger (456 feet). That’s tied for the most by one team in a game since ‘15, with the Rockies in the aforementioned June 26, 2016, game and the Pirates on April 22, 2016, at Chase Field.