MEXICO CITY (AP) — When the Houston Astros take on the Colorado Rockies this weekend, it will be the seventh regular-season series played in Mexico. Major League Baseball's presence in the country, however, goes far beyond that.
Mexico became one of only six countries in the world with an MLB office in 2016. For Rodrigo Fernandez, the head of the organization south of the border, the regular-season series may be the biggest event, but it's far from the only one held in the country.
Among those, the MLB office runs a program called First Pitch to promote the game among kids. Another is the MLB Cup, a nation-wide tournament for 11 and 12 year olds that recently finished its fifth championship.
“For us (the series) is the cherry on top of the cake because we have many activities through the year,” Fernandez told The Associated Press. “The MLB Cup is broadcasted by ESPN and is the biggest tournament of its kind in Mexico. Those kids are Mexico’s future.”
The MLB office in Mexico, alongside the Mexican baseball federation, held the tournament with 28 teams. The finals were played in Mexico City.
“We want to send the message to kids that we are interested in them playing baseball. Many of them will probably end up being signed by the Mexican Baseball League, but also, they are going to play for the national team in their age group,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez has been the only director of the office since its creation in 2016. Before taking over, he worked as general manager of operations for World Wrestling Entertainment for Mexico and Latin America.
Besides Mexico, Major League Baseball has offices in London, Tokyo, Beijing and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The office is inside a luxury tower adjacent to the upscale Artz Pedregal shopping mall in the southern part of the city.
Even though Fernandez's position remains the same, some of the goals from MLB in Mexico have changed. In 2016, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he wanted to see if Mexico could be a potential site for expansion. But a year ago, Manfred said he’s “never been close to the idea of Mexico as an expansion opportunity.”
“Commissioner Manfred has a commitment and very high interest in Mexico, however there are several factors that have made us change our strategies and now solidifying the local leagues is the main step for us,” Fernandez said.
The MLB office in Mexico already works closely with the Mexican baseball federation and they are trying to forge a closer relationship with the Mexican Baseball League, led by league president Horacio de la Vega.
Since de la Vega took over in 2021, the league has seen increased attendance at stadiums, the games are broadcast on national TV and on streaming services. That has helped grow the sport’s popularity among a new generation of fans.
“I think (fan attendance) has increased, before there were a lot of old people in the park,” 63-year-old fan Carlos Hernandez said before a game between the Diablos Rojos and Tigres in Mexico City. “And now there are more fans, especially young ones.”
According to Othon Diaz, the Diablos Rojos president, nine years ago 53% of the team’s fans were 55 years or older and now 74% of them are under 45. Also, they averaged 3,000 fans per game and now it’s up to 11,000.
For some of those hard-core fans, having an MLB regular-season series is nice, but only for those who can afford it.
Fernandez said tickets for the Astros-Rockies series sold out in an hour and now the asking price on the resale market goes from $70 up to $580.
“It’s a good show, but the ticket prices are a little bit high. With the cheapest one you could come (to see the Diablos Rojos) for half of a season,” said Hernandez, who went to see the Diablos with his wife and two sons.
Mexico first hosted MLB games in August 1996, when the San Diego Padres faced the New York Mets in Monterrey. The Padres faced the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018. And in 2019, the Cincinnati Reds played the St. Louis Cardinals, and the Houston Astros faced the Los Angeles Angels.
Mexico City was due to host a series between the Padres and the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2020, but it was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the Padres played against the San Francisco Giants.
According to Fernandez, there are plans to bring regular-season games to Mexico every year through 2026, though not necessarily at the same venue. Meanwhile, the work continues to help spread the popularity of baseball in the country.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
Houston Astros team mascot Orbit and fans, pose for a photo backdropped by the Monument to the Revolution in Mexico City, Thursday, April 25, 2024. The Houston Astros will face Colorado Rockies in two regular season game beginning Saturday, at Mexico City's Alfredo Harp Helú stadium. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson and far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene met for a second day at the Capitol on Tuesday, political adversaries trying to engineer an off-ramp from the escalating standoff over her threat for a vote to oust him from office.
The stakes are high for both.
Republican Johnson is hoping to avoid a politically fraught outcome in which he would keep his job, but only after relying on Democrats who have pledged their support to save him, at least this time.
Greene, a top ally of Donald Trump, faces her own potentially embarrassing setback if her motion to vacate the speaker fizzles, as is expected.
“Right now the ball is in Mike Johnson’s court,” said Greene, R-Ga. “I am so done with words. For me, it’s all about actions.”
In a brazen move, Greene has forced her way to the negotiating table and outlined four demands — including no more funding for Ukraine as it fights Russia and an end to the Justice Department special counsel’s legal cases against the indicted former president, Trump.
Throughout Johnson has tried to portray himself, six months on the job since the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as in control of the situation, and not beholden to the hard-right forces that have created chaos throughout this session of Congress.
“Look, they’ve been very productive discussions. that’s what I’ll say” Johnson, R-La., said after Tuesday's 90-minute meeting.
Johnson downplayed the idea that there was any deal to be made, saying the meetings are simply part of his open-door policy to hear out the ideas of fellow Republican lawmakers, as is his practice as the new leader.
“It’s not a negotiation,” Johnson said.
But it's clear whether or not Greene proceeds with her plan to call the vote this week — or lets the moment slip away — the threat of removal will trail the speaker's tenure and force him to consider concessions to the far-right forces to keep members satisfied.
Greene said she had “high expectations” the speaker would deliver.
“This is what people all over the country are screaming for,” Greene said Tuesday on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast. “They want to see this vote.”
Another hardline congressman, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, has joined in the meetings and warned Johnson not to draw out a decision.
"If his plan is to drag this out so the pressure comes off of this, and to drag it out for weeks or days even, without making some movement in our direction, then he would just be far better off to have this vote and get it behind him,” Massie said.
The effort to oust Johnson has been panned by Trump, who gave his nod of support to the speaker, and it has failed to gain traction among Republicans, leaving Greene almost alone with just a few colleagues on her side.
But the demands Greene is making are mostly popular among Republicans and could be difficult for Johnson to ignore. That gives both her and the speaker incentive to embrace a deal — particularly since Trump would almost certainly be supportive.
In a signal of what's to come, Johnson lashed out at the Justice Department's two cases from special prosecutor Jack Smith against Trump — over mishandling classified documents as well as the effort to overturn the 2020 election in the runup to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.
Johnson, echoing Greene's claims of sham trials, called the Justice Department cases against Trump “election interference” that “has to stop” as the former president is the party's presumptive nominee in the 2024 race for the White House.
“President Trump has done nothing wrong here,” said Johnson, who led one of the defeated president's legal efforts trying to overturn Biden's 2020 election victory before the bloody Capitol siege.
Johnson said the House will consider the flow of federal funds to the Justice Department and oversight of the special prosecutor's office. “Stay tuned,” he said.
Greene is also demanding that Johnson abide by the Hastert rule, named for another former Republican speaker, that requires leaders to proceed with voting on bills only when they have support from the majority of their members.
Relying on the Hastert rule could have tanked congressional support for Ukraine since the recently approved $61 million foreign aid package did not have backing from most Republicans. It passed with Democratic support.
Greene also wants to insist on federal spending reductions championed by Massie which would require a 1% across-the-board cut if Congress fails to pass the regular appropriation bills by the Sept. 30 deadline for the end of the fiscal year. A similar deal was struck last year, lending support to the idea.
Other Republicans, even if they agree with some of the ideas being proposed, are wary of Johnson making any deals with a select few.
“I don’t have a problem with him listening, but what I will have a problem with, and we had this problem with Speaker McCarthy, is when you start making special special deals and hidden deals, “said Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla. “And then people, not just conservatives, but moderates and everybody else, says where’s my deal?”
But ultra-conservative Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., said Greene backing off the motion to vacate for now would be a “a wise move." He said it signals "she’s going to play her best hand and that’s to get what you can get.”
The speaker is working to show he is in control of the House and not being led by Democrats, who are in the minority but have outsized influence because they have provided the votes for much of the consequential issues this Congress.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic leader, has emerged as an empowered speaker-in-waiting, if Democrats win party control in November. He and his leadership team have promised to vote to table Greene's motion, essentially saving Johnson's job.
But Johnson insisted Tuesday he has no interest in relinquishing the gavel any time soon. Even though some Republicans have said he should step aside, Johnson said he intends to continue leading the House Republicans well into next year.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a news conference amid threats that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses during a news conference amid threats that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leaves a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., whom she has vowed to remove from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., pauses during a news conference amid threats that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
FILE—House Minority Leader Hakeen Jeffries, D-N.Y., left, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of La., confer during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol Monday, April 29, 2024, in Washington. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from his leadership post because of his reliance on support from Democrats led by Hakeem Jeffries. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, file)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives for a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans amid threats as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, is threatening to oust Johnson from his leadership post, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
