Mexico’s Estadio Monterrey Baseball Stadium Undergoes Renovation for MLB Games

Estadio Monterrey in Mexico played host to a three-game series the weekend of May 4, taking Major League Baseball south of the border for a regular season game for the first time in 19 years.

The stadium is home to the Sultanes of Monterrey, the hometown team, which plays in the Mexican League.

Returning to Mexico for their third regular-season trip across the border were the San Diego Padres who faced off against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“We look forward to playing in Mexico in front of some of the most passionate and knowledgeable baseball fans in the world,” Padres first baseman Wil Myers told MLB.com when the games were first announced.

The MLB chose to host the games in Monterrey back in October 2017 and BrightView Sports Turf was brought in to bring the field up to MLB specifications.

“The playing surface needed work,” said Murray Cook, President of BrightView Sports Turf. “We had to replace the field, which involved its re-grading and the installation of new turf and a warning track.”

The stadium also received new lights, dugouts, bullpens, and more.

Construction on the field began in early December and final details were completed in the weeks leading up to the series.

Each of the three games was played before sold-out crowds. The first game gave the crowd the chance to witness history as the Dodgers recorded the first combined no-hitter in franchise history – the 12th in MLB history – and went on to win 4-0. Momentum of the series shifted toward the Padres for the remaining two games, with wins of 7-4 and 3-0.

After the games, 300 Mexican youth baseball players visited the stadium and practiced hitting and fielding, baserunning, and had workouts as part of the MLB’s Play Ball program.

“There may have been a lot of zeroes on the scoreboard over the weekend, but we’re all happy with how it turned out,” Cook said.