Giants, Padres host Play Ball event in Mexico City
Maria Guardado
@mi_guardadoMEXICO CITY -- The Giants and Padres teamed up to hold a Play Ball event at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on Saturday morning, hosting over 100 local youth from the John Langdon Down Foundation in conjunction with Major League Baseball’s Mexico City Series.
Giants outfielder Joc Pederson and his brother, Champ, who has Down syndrome, were in attendance for the event, along with former MLB All-Stars Yonder Alonso, Sergio Romo, Carlos Baerga and Ryan Howard. Padres pitcher Tom Cosgrove and Giants catcher Blake Sabol were also among the players who volunteered to teach kids how to hit off a tee and run participants through various baserunning and fielding drills.
“I love working with kids and being out on the field with them and seeing how much fun they have out here, it kind of reminds me to not make the game too big,” Sabol said. “It reminds me why I fell in love with the game in the first place. It’s great to give back. It was good to try and use my limited Spanish knowledge -- my three classes I took back in middle school.”
MLB Charities also made a $25,000 donation on behalf of Major League Baseball to support the John Langdon Down Foundation’s work, with MLB chief strategy officer Chris Marinak on hand to present the gift.
Participants came away with goodies as well, as the Padres and Giants donated baseball caps, rally towels, bats and Wiffle Balls to the kids, who had huge smiles on their faces throughout the event.
“It was a Home Run Derby over here,” Sabol said. “Some of them had some really good swings, actually. It was fun, seeing the simplest stuff and how much joy it brings them.”
The baseball activities were intended to encourage greater accessibility to the sport while demonstrating the variety of ways in which the game can be played in almost any setting. This effort is a continuation of MLB’s broader Play Ball initiative, which aims to encourage engagement in baseball or softball-related activities among young people.