Robinson Cano spent 17 seasons playing in the MLB in front of all kinds of baseball fans, but he said there is something special about his stint with the Mexican Baseball League’s Diablos Rojos.
He is not alone.
The league last week opened its 100th season, aiming to keep an impressive growth in attendance that began after the national team’s surprise run at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, and is already surpassing some first-division soccer clubs.
Photo: AP
After finishing third in the 2023 tournament, many casual fans, some of them soccer enthusiasts disappointed after Mexico were eliminated in the first round in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, turned their attention to baseball and many of them appear to have stayed for the long haul.
“We are constantly striving for growth and this season is not going to be different,” league president Horacio de la Vega said. “Our growth has to do with the fact that we are not selling just baseball, but a whole experience.”
In Mexico City, the “baseball experience” happens in the US$160 million Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu, which opened in March 2019 and seats 20,000.
Even though the ballpark is small compared with MLB standards, the carnival-like atmosphere stands out.
“This is a special city, where the fans come to each game, whether it is day or night,” Cano said. “As a player, it is a big motivation to see the park full of fans supporting baseball.”
The 42-year-old Dominican, who appeared in eight MLB All-Star Games, played in the US for five franchises, among them the New York Yankees. He was a key player in leading Diablos Rojos to the championship last season and he has agreed to return for a second one.
Through his career, Cano has played for the Dominican Republic’s Estrellas Orientales and competed in several Caribbean Series.
“The atmosphere in Mexico is somewhat like the Caribbean Series, but in there you are playing for your country and it is a short tournament,” Cano said. “Here, it’s a long season and yet the fans are still there every night.”
Last season, the Diablos Rojos topped the average attendance in the league with 11,694, followed by Toros de Tijuana (11,354) and Sultanes de Monterrey (9,092).
Soccer clubs Pachuca (10,713), Santos Laguna (9,421), Mazatlan (9,522) and Juarez (8,980) have worse attendance despite playing in bigger stadiums. The team with the best attendance in Liga MX are Monterrey with 43,544.
“We have a great group of owners, even though they are rivals on the field. Off it they work as allies and share all kinds of things, from how to clean bathrooms, how to have better food courts and even to sell beer,” De la Vega said.
After the World Baseball Classic in 2023, 4.734 million fans set the league attendance record for a season. Last year, the number dipped, but only by 93,000 fans.
“We have been growing steadily and this being a special season, we are aiming for a record 5 million fans in total attendance,” De la Vega said.
The fans are getting younger, too.
Nine years ago, 53 percent of the team’s fans were 55 years or older, and now 74 percent of them are younger than 45, Diablos Rojos president Othon Diaz said, adding that they averaged 3,000 fans per game and now it is up to 11,000.
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