SEATTLE -- The Astros will play regular-season games in three countries next season after it was announced Wednesday they would face the "host" Angels in a two-game set in Monterrey, Mexico on May 4-5. The Astros previously have played exhibitions in Mexico, but this will be their first regular-season game not in the U.S. or Canada, where Houston plays in Toronto each season.
The games will be played at Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey, which is the home of the Sultanes de Monterrey of the Mexican League. The 2019 Major League schedule will also feature games in Tokyo and London.
"We're growing the game internationally," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "I know teams are going to Japan, teams are going to London, and we'll do the Mexico Series, which will be really fun. We played an exhibition game there in Mexico City a couple of years ago, and that was a fun experience. Playing a two-game series against the Angels will be pretty cool for our guys."
The Astros will be making their third trip to Mexico and their first to Monterrey. Houston previously played two exhibition series in Mexico City, one in 2004 against the Marlins and a second against the Padres in '16.
The Astros also played internationally in 2000 with a two-game exhibition set in the Dominican Republic against the Red Sox and in '01 with a two-game exhibition against the Indians in Valencia, Venezuela.