Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú Explained

Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú
Nickname:Diamante de Fuego
Address:Av. Viaducto Río de la Piedad, Granjas México, Iztacalco, Mexico City, Mexico
Opened:23 March 2019
Capacity:20,062[1]
Surface:Artificial turf
Cost:Mex$3 billion[2]
Architect:FGP Atelier & Taller ADG[3]
Dimensions:Left field: 332feet
Center field: 410feet
Right field: 332feet
Publictransit: Ciudad Deportiva
Puebla
Tenants:Diablos Rojos del México ( - present)

Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú (English: Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium) is a baseball stadium in Mexico City, located within the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City in the Iztacalco borough. It is the ballpark of Mexican League's Diablos Rojos del México. Inaugurated on 23 March 2019, the stadium has a capacity of 20,062 seats.

The stadium hosts the MLB Mexico City Series. In December 2019, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced it would hold two games at the stadium in April 2020 between the San Diego Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks. These games were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] The first MLB games played at the stadium were on 29 and 30 April 2023 between the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants. These were the first regular season MLB games in Mexico City.[5]

The ballpark was named for the Diablos Rojos owner Alfredo Harp Helú and it is nicknamed Diamante de Fuego (English: The Fire Diamond).[6] [7]

History

Background

From 1955 until 2000, the Diablos Rojos del México played at the Parque Deportivo del Seguro Social, which they shared with the Tigres de México. In 1999, the Mexican Social Security Institute, owner of the ballpark, decided to sell the stadium. Despite the offer of the Diablos and Tigres owners to buy the Parque del Seguro Social, a larger sum of money was offered by Autocamiones Central, a Ford authorized dealer, who planned to turn the place into a car dealership. The stadium was later sold to Supermercados Gigante, a supermarket chain, demolished and turned into a shopping mall named Parque Delta.[8] [9] Diablos and Tigres played a doubleheader on 1 June 2000; the last time that baseball was played at the Parque del seguro Social.[10] [11]

After the demolition of the Parque Deportivo del Seguro Social, Diablos and Tigres were forced to find another ballpark and moved to the Foro Sol, a ballpark located inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, to host their local games. Foro Sol, opened as a baseball park on 2 June 2000, with the second game of the series between Tigres and Diablos. For the 2002 season, Tigres left Mexico City and moved to Puebla, leaving the Diablos as the sole tenants of the Foro Sol.[12]

In June 2010, the announcement of the construction of a new baseball stadium for the Diablos was made by Marcelo Ebrard, Head of Government of the Federal District from 2006 to 2012, and Alfredo Harp Helú, owner of the Diablos Rojos. According to Ebrard, construction was scheduled to begin in September 2010. Two locations were selected as possible options for the new Diablos stadium: Bicentennial Park in Azcapotzalco, next to the Refinería metro station and the Estadio Fray Nano, that would have been demolished in order to build the new stadium. The plans fell apart and the new stadium was not built.[13] [14] [15]

The contract between the Diablos Rojos and Foro Sol was due after the 2014 season, that, and the return of the Formula One Mexican Grand Prix to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez scheduled for 2015, meant that the Diablos had to, again, search for a new ballpark. In early 2014, plans for a new stadium were announced again, and this time four possible locations were considered: Bicentennial Park, Estadio Fray Nano, Ciudad Universitaria and the Magdalena Mixhuca Sports City.[15] The latter was finally chosen and, on 2 December 2014, Alfredo Harp Helú announced that the construction of the new stadium would begin in 2015 between turns 1 and 3 of the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez. The conclusion of the project would mean the first professional stadium built after 50 years in Mexico City.[16] [17]

Diablos played their last game at the Foro Sol on 11 September 2014, that was also the last game of the Serie del Rey, the Mexican League championship series, defeating Pericos de Puebla to win the 2014 championship.[18] [19] For the next season, Diablos Rojos moved to the small, functional and familiar Estadio Fray Nano, where they played from 2015 to 2018.[20] [21]

The beginning of the project started from the promise of Alfredo Harp Helú, more than 20 years ago, focused on creating a permanent home for the fans and the institution itself; accomplishing not only his dream of having a stadium of their own for the Diablos, but also making real a promise based on the love and passion for baseball and Mexico.

Inauguration

The ballpark was inaugurated on 23 March 2019, with an exhibition game against the San Diego Padres. The inauguration was attended by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and the Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum.[22] [23] [24] The ceremony was the first time that the President of Mexico had thrown the first pitch in a baseball park since 1947, when Miguel Alemán did so in the 1947 season opener between the Diablos Rojos and the Azules de Veracruz.[25] The starting pitchers were Arturo López for the Diablos and Ryan Weathers for the Padres. The San Diego Padres won the game by a score of 11–2.[22]

The first official LMB game was the first of the inaugural series against the Tigres de Quintana Roo on 5 April 2019, won by the Diablos Rojos by a score of 14–8. The starting pitchers were Matt Gage for the Diablos Rojos and Javier Solano for the Tigres. Diablos first baseman Japhet Amador hit the first home run in an official game in the stadium's history.[7] [26]

Stadium firsts

StatisticExhibitionRegular seasonPostseason
First game23 March 2019
Padres 11, Diablos Rojos 2
5 April 2019
Diablos Rojos 14, Tigres 8
3 September 2019
Diablos Rojos 11, Tigres 6
scope"row" style=";Ceremonial First PitchAndrés Manuel López ObradorAlfredo Harp HelúÓscar Pérez
scope"row" style=";First pitchArturo LópezMatt GageMatt Gage
scope"row" style=";First batterXavier Edwards (Padres)Justin Greene (Tigres)Rubén Sosa (Tigres)
scope"row" style=";First hitXavier Edwards (Padres)Rubén Sosa (Tigres)Reynaldo Rodríguez (Tigres)
scope"row" style=";First Diablos hitJesús FabelaJaphet AmadorJaphet Amador
scope"row" style=";First home runMichael Gettys (Padres)Japhet AmadorManuel Orduño (Tigres)

MLB Mexico City Series

Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú hosts the MLB Mexico City Series. The first series, scheduled to be played in April 2020, were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27]

The series returned in 2023 with the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants playing in Mexico City on 29 and 30 April 2023. The Padres won the first game, 16–11, and won the second, 6–4. The crowd was heavily biased towards the Padres, who are based very close to the Mexican border, and attracted fans from the U.S. and from across Mexico.[28] Due to the high altitude and hitter-friendly dimensions of the stadium, the first game included 11 home runs from 10 different players, tying an MLB record.[29]

The 2024 series is scheduled to feature the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies.[30]

SeasonDateWinning TeamLosing TeamAttendanceRef.
202329 April 2023San Diego Padres 161119,633[31]
30 April 2023San Diego Padres6San Francisco Giants 419,611[32]
202427 April 2024Houston Astros12Colorado Rockies419,934[33]
28 April 2024Houston Astros8Colorado Rockies219,841[34]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. Quién es quién 2022. Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. 7 September 2022. Spanish.
  2. Web site: El desafío de construir un parque de 3,000 millones de pesos. El Economista. Yesme. Cortés. 22 March 2019. 10 July 2023. es.
  3. Web site: "Diablos Rojos" Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium / FGP Atelier + Taller ADG. ArchDaily. 10 July 2023.
  4. Web site: MLB D-backs Padres play in Mexico City in 2020. MLB.com. en. 2019-12-14. 2019-12-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20191214193212/https://www.mlb.com/breaking-news/mlb-to-play-in-mexico-city-2020. dead.
  5. Web site: MLB to play regular season games in Mexico City for first time with Padres-Giants series in 2023. Matt. Snyder. 31 August 2022. 3 September 2022. CBSSports.com. en.
  6. Web site: El Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, la nueva casa de los Diablos Rojos del México. El Economista. 25 March 2019. 10 July 2023. es.
  7. Web site: Diablos Rojos: Triunfo 100 para los Pingos en el Diamante de Fuego. MiLB.com. 3 June 2023. 10 July 2023. es.
  8. Web site: En 1955 nace el Parque del Seguro Social. MiLB.com. 29 March 2015. 11 July 2023. es.
  9. Web site: ¿Qué pasó ahí?... La nostalgia del Parque del Seguro Social. Excélsior. 17 October 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  10. Web site: Historia LMB: El último juego en el Parque del Seguro Social. Séptima Entrada. 1 June 2020. 11 July 2023. es.
  11. Web site: Después de 45 años el Parque del Seguro cerró sus puertas. https://web.archive.org/web/20220819021744/https://diablos.com.mx/despues-de-45-anos-el-parque-del-seguro-cerro-sus-puertas/. diablos.com.mx. 1 June 2020. 19 August 2022. 11 July 2023. es.
  12. Web site: Hace 20 años se inauguró el Foro Sol como estadio de beisbol. MiLB.com. 11 July 2023. es.
  13. Web site: Dos posibles sedes para el estadio de los Diablos. La Jornada. José. Garduño Gómez. 9 June 2010. 11 July 2023. es.
  14. Web site: Los Diablos Rojos tendrán nueva casa. Mediotiempo.com. 8 June 2010. 11 July 2023. es.
  15. Web site: Un parque, cuatro opciones. Milenio. Miguel. Boada Nájera. 27 February 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  16. Web site: La cronología del nuevo estadio de los Diablos Rojos. Milenio. 13 March 2019. 11 July 2023. es.
  17. Web site: Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, el tridente de la ciudad. obras.expansion.mx. Diana. Zavala. 11 July 2023. es.
  18. Web site: Diablos Rojos, sin casa para el 2015. Milenio. Miguel. Boada Nájera. 24 July 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  19. Web site: Diablos despidió Foro Sol con título. ESPN.com.mx. Rubén. Castro. 12 September 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  20. Web site: Fray Nano, casa para Diablos Rojos en 2015. MiLB.com. 26 November 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  21. Web site: Los Diablos al Fray Nano en 2015. ESPN.com.mx. Salvador. Rodríguez. 23 September 2014. 11 July 2023. es.
  22. Web site: Gran ambiente en inauguración del Estadio AHH. MiLB.com. 24 March 2019. 10 July 2023. es.
  23. Web site: AMLO inaugurará nuevo estadio de los Diablos Rojos del México en 2019. El Financiero. Notimex. 11 September 2018. 10 July 2023. es.
  24. Web site: Lanza AMLO primera bola en el Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú. Aristegui Noticias. 23 March 2019. 10 July 2023. es.
  25. Web site: Así fue el primer juego de béisbol transmitido por TV en México. Séptima Entrada. 27 March 2022. 10 July 2023. es.
  26. Web site: Diablos gana el primero en el AHH. 6 April 2019. MiLB.com. 10 July 2023. es.
  27. Web site: Adams. Steve. MLB Cancels Planned Series In Mexico City And Puerto Rico. MLB Trade Rumors. 10 July 2023. 19 March 2020.
  28. News: Wagner. James. Passionate Baseball Fans and (Very) Thin Air Let Mexico City Shine . 10 July 2023. The New York Times . 1 May 2023.
  29. News: Perry. Dayn. Padres and Giants tie MLB record as 10 players homer in opener of Mexico Series. 10 July 2023. CBS Sports. 29 April 2023.
  30. News: Snyder. Matt. MLB planning Mexico City return in 2024 with Astros to face NL opponent, per report. 10 July 2023. CBS Sports. 1 May 2023.
  31. Web site: MLB Gameday: Giants 11, Padres 16 Final Score (04/29/2023) . 2024-04-28 . MLB.com . en.
  32. Web site: MLB Gameday: Giants 4, Padres 6 Final Score (04/30/2023) . 2024-04-28 . MLB.com . en.
  33. Web site: MLB Gameday: Astros 12, Rockies 4 Final Score (04/27/2024) . 2024-04-28 . MLB.com . en.
  34. Web site: MLB Gameday: Follow Astros at Rockies game on 04/28/2024 free . 2024-04-28 . MLB.com . en.