For the first time since 1991, the Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing in Monterrey, Mexico, this weekend. The three-game Mexico Series comes against their division rival San Diego Padres.
The series will be a special one for the entire Dodgers organization, but it comes with extra meaning for a few individuals. Former Dodger great and Mexico native Fernando Valenzuela will be on-hand to throw out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday’s game.
Additionally, Dodgers left-hander Julio Urias, who is on the disabled list as he recovers from shoulder surgery, also traveled with the team to his home country for the series.
Another player with ties to Mexico, young outfielder Alex Verdugo, made the trip as well, but he’s on the active roster by virtue of getting recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City last week.
Verdugo wasn’t sure if he would be making the trip until he got called up, but his family was still planning on going regardless of if he was on the team or not. Now that he’ll get an opportunity to play in front of them means a lot to Verdugo, via J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group:
“There’s going to be a lot of emotions going through,” Verdugo said. “My family’s going to be out there so it’s definitely going to be a great experience.”
Verdugo grew up in Tucson, Ariz., but his family is from Mexico, so he represented the country in the World Baseball Classic in 2017.
He has gotten off to a hot start in his first week in the big leagues this season, which earned him the right to make the trip to Mexico and most likely be in the lineup on Friday night. In five games, Verdugo has hit .353/.421/.588 with four doubles and two runs scored.
