On the beat: 9 notes from Padres' time in CDMX

This story was excerpted from AJ Cassavell’s Padres Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MEXICO CITY -- I had a blast in 2023, when the Padres played MLB’s first games in Mexico City. But I think I enjoyed this weekend even more.

Everything was fantastic -- the games were exciting, the crowds were awesome, the city is amazing. (In case you couldn’t tell, I love the Mexico City Series.)

Maybe you’re disappointed that San Diego came away with only a split -- especially considering the way Sunday’s game unraveled. But Saturday’s game was a thriller. And the Padres remain one of the sport's hottest teams.

In any case, I had a whole lot of fun. (And isn't that what's really important here?) Here are my nine favorite things from the weekend in Mexico City:

9. Ty France joins an exclusive club
On Sunday morning, I approached Ty France and asked if he’d heard of Ken Caminiti’s fabled “Snickers Game.” He laughed. No, he hadn’t.

Famously, 30 years ago, Caminiti became the first player to hit multiple home runs in a game in Mexico. He did so on a day he was violently ill and needed an IV in the clubhouse. Caminiti wasn’t in the starting lineup. Until he asked a clubhouse attendant for a couple Snickers bars. It was, evidently, the only thing Caminiti could get down.

He scarfed down the Snickers bars, homered twice, and, still feeling the effects of the illness, was removed from the game after the fifth inning.

“You should’ve told me that before,” France said. “I would’ve eaten a Snickers bar.”

He didn’t need one. France joined Caminiti and Manny Machado (who has now done so twice) as the only Padres players to homer twice in an international game.

Ken Caminiti. Manny Machado. Ty France.

What a list.

8. The “Holy Sheets” chants
It sounded so much like Petco Park, I did a double take.

It quickly became clear that these games would be de facto Padres home games. Or, as manager Craig Stammen called it, “Petco South.”

The Holy Sheets chant in the seventh inning on Saturday -- just as the Padres were mounting a rally -- took it up a notch. It was LOUD.

“That was crazy,” Sheets said. “That was pretty special. Obviously, in San Diego, it’s always special. But leaving the country, coming here, having that experience here … it was really cool. Unexpected.”

7. The pregame vibe
What a scene. The instruments, the songs, the dancing -- all of it. I think the pregame vibe was as good as any I’ve experienced at any ballpark. In fact, I think I had as much fun walking around and soaking in the atmosphere pregame as I did actually watching the games. The Mexico national anthem, both days sung throughout the stadium, was a highlight.

6. Al pastor
I was busier than I expected. So, over the course of my four days in Mexico City, I only ate 13 tacos. Last time, I ate 19. Truly, a disappointing effort. (But the tacos, specifically the al pastor tacos, that I did get to eat were very good.)

5. Just the friendliest Padres fans … everywhere
Whether you live here year round, or you traveled in from San Diego -- I heard from a lot of you this weekend. Thanks for saying hi, and thanks for all the kind words! It meant a lot!

4. The Estadio
Say what you will about the altitude. More often than not, it will have a major impact on the games. That was certainly the case on Sunday.

But the Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú is an awesome place to watch a baseball game nonetheless. It seats about 20,000 people. At the same time, the ballpark feels both much bigger than that -- and extremely intimate, too. With the canopy over home plate, it also gets ... loud.

The press box isn’t much -- a few tables and some chairs behind the first deck. A bit of a tight squeeze. It’s still an incredible view. And in the ninth inning Saturday night -- while I was frantically trying to finish two stories at the same time -- I found myself distracted. The scene was just too good.

If you ever get a chance to watch a game here, I’d highly recommend it.

3. Paseo de la Reforma on a Sunday morning
Non-baseball: Every Sunday morning in Mexico City, they close down Paseo de la Reforma, a major avenue that runs through the city. No vehicles are allowed. Instead, thousands of people go outside and walk/run/bike/scooter/roller blade along the Reforma. It’s pretty incredible.

2. Miller sets the record
Of all places, Mexico City is where Mason Miller broke Cla Meredith’s franchise-record scoreless streak. (Certainly not the easiest place to do so, considering the conditions.)

I was struck by what a star Miller has become. Obviously he’s beloved in San Diego. But the local media and fans in Mexico City all desperately wanted to see Miller pitch.

They got their wish. With the Padres clinging to a late lead on Saturday night, those heavy metal chords pumped through the speakers, and the ballpark went nuts. Miller made quick work of the Diamondbacks, setting the club record at 34 2/3 scoreless frames.

With his usual humility, Miller joked, “I think we can stop talking about it now.”

Sorry, Mason. As long as you’re putting zeros on the board, there are other records within sight.

Still, I’m not sure any future record-breaking performance will be quite as unique as the setting on Saturday night.

1. A day at Liga Olmeca
The Padres didn’t play a game on Friday. But about a dozen of them spent their afternoon at a local Little League, putting on a baseball clinic for about 250 kids.

Frankly, it was wonderful to watch.

I’m not a cynic. But there are certainly times -- when you’re covering 100-something baseball games every season, dealing with late nights, long travel and occasionally cranky ballplayers -- where you don't always feel the romance of the game.

But this? As Sheets said, “This is what it’s all about.”

The kids loved it. And this wasn’t just some meet-and-greet. This was full-on drills. Grounders with Machado. Fly balls with Jackson Merrill. Sprints with Jake Cronenworth.

“Just seeing how much it meant to those kids,” said Miller, “seeing how passionate they are about baseball, about the Padres, and how excited they were to meet some of the players -- I think that’s a good enough reason to be here in and of itself.

“Baseball transcends language barriers. It transcends geographical locations. It’s just: Being able to connect over a game that everybody loves.”

And, really, that’s what the weekend was about.