MEXICO CITY -- Alek Thomas wore his white Team Mexico jersey when he arrived at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú on Saturday. Before the first pitch, he hung it in his locker in the home clubhouse and traded it for the Diamondbacks’ blue-and-purple “Serpientes” jersey.
A few innings later, he gave the crowd -- and himself -- a moment to remember.
Playing in Mexico City for the first time and in the country he recently represented in the World Baseball Classic, Thomas turned a personal homecoming into one of the most meaningful moments of his season, one shared with his family and embraced by a crowd draped in Mexican flags and memorabilia.
He was welcomed to his first plate appearance in the bottom of the second inning with cheers from the crowd, including both of his parents, Allen and Marcella -- who is from Agua Prieta, Sonora.
Thomas seized the moment by hitting a two-run home run.
“It’s an honor to play here in Mexico City, it’s definitely really special to me and my family,” Thomas said prior to Arizona’s 6-4 loss to the Padres in the Mexico City Series opener.
Arizona had already done damage in the inning. Ildemaro Vargas hit a two-out single for the club’s first hit of the night, extending his hitting streak to 19 games, and Nolan Arenado followed with a single on a ground ball to left field.
Jose Fernandez then hit a 96.6 mph four-seamer into the gap in left-center field for a double, scoring Vargas and Arenado to give the Diamondbacks a 2-0 lead.
Then came Thomas.
Feeding off the energy of the crowd, the center fielder connected on an 88.5 mph slider from Germán Márquez for a Statcast-projected exit velocity of 105.1 mph, sending it 400 feet to right field. The ball sailed past the glove of Fernando Tatis Jr., who climbed the fence, and into the Diamondbacks’ bullpen for his second homer of the season.
“We had just scored some runs … and I just tried to lock in to the situation, but I could definitely feel the energy from the Mexican crowd, and it was really cool,” Thomas said. “Doing it in Mexico after playing in the WBC not too long ago, it was definitely a special moment for me and my family, and hopefully my nana was watching at home.”
In the World Baseball Classic, Thomas slashed .267/.313/.467 for Team Mexico before the club was eliminated in the first round.
“Great moment for Alek. He played for Team Mexico in the WBC. His mother is of Mexican descent. He’s very honored, and it was a very [proud] moment for him to represent Team Mexico,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “The fact that he came here, there was a nice ovation for him, the crowd acknowledged that connection, and then for him to go out there and hit a home run, it was a very special moment for him, and I know his family, as well.”
Thomas took the ball from his home run with him, a keepsake from a night that he felt honored to be a part of -- and the energy that greeted him in his first at-bat never faded.
“It was an honor to wear the colors and represent Mexico, to represent my mom’s side of the family,” Thomas said. “I’m very excited about that opportunity. My mom is definitely very proud of me. I could tell that, after the games at the WBC, the hugs were a little bit tighter than they normally are. I could see it on her face that she was really proud of me.”
The result, though, didn’t follow the same script.
Zac Gallen took a liner off his arm and exited after three innings with a right shoulder contusion, forcing Arizona to turn to its bullpen early. The Padres took advantage late, putting together a four-run rally in the seventh inning to erase the Diamondbacks’ lead.
Lovullo said the Diamondbacks understood the need to add on after Gallen’s early exit but pointed to missed opportunities.
“It was just one of those special environments that you love to play in front of,” Lovullo said. “The Padres are a good baseball team, I want to acknowledge that. But I think the D-backs beat the D-backs today.”