Astros dominate in hitters' paradise, sweeping Rockies in the second edition of the MLB Mexico City Series

SEATTLE - It was an action-packed weekend for baseball fans in Mexico City, as the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies entertained a packed Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium to two high-scoring games in the MLB's second edition of the Mexico City series.

As part of the league's collective bargaining agreement to end the 2021-22 lockout, MLB launched the idea of playing regular-season games in cities outside of the United States and Canada. One of these cities was Mexico City, who hosted their first edition of the international series last year, when the San Diego Padres hosted the San Francisco Giants.

This year wasn't much different from the last, with Astros and Rockies also offering a high-scoring game to the more than 19,000 fans that packed the stadium.

A total of four homers flew over the fences, three of them coming off Astros' bats. None of them got as warm of a reception as José Altuve's, who finished the series in Mexico with three runs, two hits and a home run in just five plate appearances.

It was also an emotional trip down South for the Rockies, who played in their first international series since 1999. On Sunday, April 28, Rockies legends Vinny Castilla and Jorge de la Rosa threw out the ceremonial first pitches.

Castilla made emphasis on how important these kind of games are for future generations. "I think it's great to give the fans there a taste of Major League Baseball. After the national team's success in the World Baseball Classic, it became a lot more popular," Castilla said. "The kids want to see their idols in Mexico and share the game with them," he added.

Altuve, a fan favorite in Mexico, also shared some words about his experience in yet another successful international series. "They're very passionate about baseball. I feel like baseball has grown a lot in Mexico the last four or five years. Hopefully, it keeps growing and why can't we have an MLB team in Mexico one day? I would love it."

The seventh regular-season series played in Mexico ended with a dominant display from Astros pitches Framber Valdéz, who finished the last game of the series with just two runs in five innings pitched.

The next stop in the league's international series will be London, England, a city that will host their third-ever regular-season series when Phillies and Mets clash at the London Stadium June 8-9.