SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The D-backs announced Thursday at Salt River Fields that the club will sponsor the Hermosillo Half Marathon, slated for March 24 in the capital city of Sonora state, Mexico.
With long-standing ties to Hermosillo, sister city to Phoenix, the D-backs look to further strengthen their bond with the community there.
“We’re excited to be a part of this race, of the Half Marathon in Hermosillo,” said D-backs president and CEO Derrick Hall, who was accompanied at Thursday's press conference by representatives of CODESON, SCORE MX and the Office of Conventions and Visitors of Hermosillo. “Hermosillo is such an important part of our history, an extension of our fan base with all of our friends there. It’s much more than just baseball for us. We like to have a presence in Sonora, in Hermosillo, our sister state, our sister city.
“We feel like it’s our home away from home, our second home.”
The D-backs also sponsored the Hermosillo Half Marathon in 2016.
Having played 10 exhibition games in Hermosillo since 1998, the D-backs have forged strong relationships with the city’s team in the Mexican Pacific League, Naranjeros, along with the rest of the league. In recent seasons, each Mexican Pacific League team’s mascot has made special appearances at Chase Field for D-backs games during Hispanic Heritage Month.
The D-backs are also slated to play two exhibition games, March 9-10, against the Rockies in Monterrey, Mexico.
“We like to have an impact on that community,” Hall said of Hermosillo. “We feel like we’re a part of that community. An event such as this, where we can sponsor, we can help, it also provides an opportunity to further advance our brand over there, the Los Dbacks brand, in Mexico.”
The Hermosillo Half Marathon will take place one week before the D-backs Race Against Cancer in Phoenix, which is a 5K/1 mile walk set for March 31.