MEXICO CITY -- Just hours after landing in Mexico City and with a busy schedule ahead of them -- MLB’s Play Ball event and the first game of the Mexico City Series are scheduled for Saturday at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú -- the Rockies’ Elias Díaz and Nolan Jones, along with the Astros’ Jeremy Peña, took center stage at Friday’s Taco Tour, part of the events surrounding this leg of the 2024 MLB World Tour.
On a double-decker bus, Díaz, Jones and Peña were taken through some of the most historic scenery in Mexico’s capital. The route started on Avenida Paseo de la Reforma, from which sights such as the Campo Marte military base -- featuring one of the largest and highest-flying Mexican flags in the country -- and the National Auditorium are visible. The bus then passed through Chapultepec Park, or Forest, which features the Chapultepec Zoo and the Museum of Anthropology.
After also passing notable monuments such as the Diana Cazadora Fountain and the Angel of Independence, the tour arrived at the main event, a stand serving tacos for a large group of baseball fans, just across from the Cibeles Fountain in the Roma Norte section of the city.
There, Díaz, Jones and Peña prepared and served tacos for the fans -- largely Astros supporters, both local and those who traveled from Houston and the surrounding area for the two games vs. the Rockies. The featured dishes were “José Urquidy” tacos, or carne asada (beef), and “Jeremy Peña” style, or tacos al pastor (pork).
“It was a beautiful experience,” Díaz said. “It’s the first time I’ve done something like this, and the tacos were special.”
Between preparing, serving and eating tacos, the trio of Major Leaguers took the time to chat with the fans gathered for the feast and to sign autographs.
“It was fun,” Jones said. “I got to be back there and cook. It was awesome. I get to be in a different country, see a different culture and eat some of their food. It’s been a lot of fun.”
And for Jones, he can now check another box -- an international one, to boot -- on his list of culinary tourism.
“I like to go and try different foods in the cities that we’re in,” he said. “Obviously, being in a different country is a whole different world, so to get an opportunity to go and eat some of their tacos is really cool.”
As the only Astros player in the group, Peña was particularly sought after by the large contingent of Houston fans.
“I could feel the support,” Peña said with a smile. “We’ve got a lot of Mexican fans and it really felt like home.
“We had a great time. It’s the first time I’ve been to Mexico and we really enjoyed it. The food is delicious, the tacos. The best, really. And I’m also excited about playing here tomorrow. I think what MLB is doing [with the World Tour] is really cool. I feel like we’re taking the sport in the right direction.”