Uncovering Mexico

Uncovering Mexico

Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.

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The entry titled "Mexico's humiliating baseball classic."

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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2009 > March > 09 > Entry

Mexico’s humiliating baseball classic

By Jeremy Schwartz | Monday, March 9, 2009, 10:54 AM

The flag was waving proudly on the field. The fans were soaking up the euphoria of seeing their nation’s best baseball players, a “Dream Team” of Major Leaguers, lined up along the first base line. Even the Tecate and churro vendors were transfixed by this spectacle of patriotic pride. The Foro Sol, the oddly configured, uncomfortable baseball stadium in Mexico City, was bursting at the seams, a far cry from the sparse crowds that usually attend games there.

But just like that, the dream turned into a nightmare. Heavily favored Team Mexico was destroyed 17-7 by Australia Sunday night in the opening match of the World Baseball Classic’s Group B. So bad was the beating that the game was ended after 8 innings, thanks to the World Baseball Classic’s mercy rule. The Mexican press called it a “nocout.” Reforma newspaper labeled the game a “Historic Ridicule.”

It was Mexico’s first time hosting the World Baseball Classic and hopes were high here for a strong showing. But after Sunday night’s “paliza,” Mexico will have a tough road even getting out of the first round (baseball powerhouse Cuba is also in the Mexico City group). And while the fervor didn’t exactly match that for say, the World Cup, among hardcore Mexican baseball fans the WBC is about as good as it gets.

Emotions were high even before the first pitch (which was thrown by Finance Minister Agustin Carstens, who was mercilessly booed). The Mexico-Australia game was the second of a day-night doubleheader. A good number of fans had been drinking beer in the hot sun since before noon, and the stadium was shaking with chanting and singing. But Mets pitcher Oliver Perez promptly put a damper on the party by allowing three runs to the first three Australians he faced. As the night wore on, the mood turned increasingly sour in the stands. An exuberant Cuban fan, who had enchanted the crowd with his antics during the first game, leading fans in group chants and the like, suddenly became the object of all manner of abuse and hurled insults.

Luckily we left before things got truly ugly.

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