Exhibition Baseball at Chase Field

 

The 2011 Major League Baseball Season starts tomorrow! Isn't everyone excited? I know I am. But, like so many of you baseball fiends out there who just can't wait for regular season action to check out baseball at your local stadiums, I checked into an exhibition game between the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Sultanes de Monterrey at Chase Field in Phoenix last night. Half the D-Backs squad was actually across town in Mesa playing the Cubs in a Spring Training contest, but the other half - including starters Justin Upton, Chris Young, and Melvin Mora - officially opened the gates to the big league park and hosted a team from the Mexican League.

Because of scheduling constraints, I arrived to the game in the second inning, thus missing a grand slam by utility infielder Ryan Roberts, which put the Diamondbacks into a lead that they would never relinquish. Incidentally, I learned that Roberts distinguishes himself from the hundreds of other random utility infielders out there with a shock of tattoos all the way up his arms and around his neck. It's amazing the things you learn from watching the jumbo tron at games that you wouldn't pick up through a normal TV broadcast.

When I entered the stadium, I noticed that the pitcher for the Sultanes was apparently named Value. At least that's what it said on the back of his jersey. Then I noticed that all the Sultanes players had that name above their numbers; and below their numbers, it read Carta Blanca. I later learned that Carta Blanca is the name of the local beer brand produced by the company that owns the team. And that the team had been in existence, owned by that company, since 1939, and that the team had originally taken the name of the brand as their team name! Anyone who's upset about lucrative sponsorship deals and corporate stadium names should look at what's been going on in south of the border baseball and at least be thankful that we haven't gone that far in this country.

A quick look at the Sultanes' active roster showed a couple of former major league names that I was excited to see, namely Erubiel Durazo (former Diamondback and Athletic) and Karim Garcia. Those two, however, didn't make it to Arizona to play. A more in-depth look at the roster showed that Durazo hadn't played since 2009, and Garcia since 2007. But that gave me a chance to see other stars of the Mexican League, such as Agustin Murillo, Lorenzo Buelnas, and Baltazar Lopez (whose home run stunned 22-year-old starter Charles Brewer, who made it through five strong innings).

As far as level of competition goes, the Mexican League is classified as AAA-ball, so it was understandable that the Diamondbacks whipped the pants off the Sultanes to the tune of an 11-4 score. J.J. Putz came in for the ninth, struck out the first two batters he faced, then hit a batter, walked the next batter, and gave up an RBI single before retiring the side. The former closer-turned-setup man-turned-back-to-closer will hope for some quieter ninth innings as he has to face major league talent in the regular season.

So that's how my first trip to Chase Field went, in a nutshell. It was my first trip to the stadium, so I picked up a miniature bat, bringing my total to 15. I have now watched a game at half the major league stadiums in existence. As I continue my journey, I will think of you, my loyal readers, and send updates from across the country!