SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — Eduardo Ortega, long-time Spanish voice for the Mexicali Eagles and San Diego Padres, finds it hard to hide his excitement over the Caribbean Series coming to Baja California.
The tournament is set for Jan. 31 to Feb. 7 at El Nido or “the nest,” Mexicali’s home stadium.
“The Caribbean Series is a very special sports event, it’s the Latin Americas’ World Series,” Ortega said.
This is the second time the city has hosted the series since it started in the 1940s.
Eduardo Ortega is the Spanish voice for the Mexicali Eagles and San Diego Padres. (Salvador Rivera/Border Report)
“It features teams from the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Mexican champion, plus Japan is going to play in the series for the first time.”
Ortega said the Caribbean Series’ games are a sight to behold and an experience to be had.
“Every country has its own culture and way of enjoying baseball, and all really comes and merges in the Caribbean Series, a lot of music in the stands of different types and rhythms, it’s a passion for the fans.”
Unlike most large border cities, Mexicali is relatively safe for visitors and residents alike, Ortega said.
“Mexicali is a very safe city, so close to the border a lot of people from the Imperial Valley commute every day when the team is playing at home, it has many restaurants, many new hotels waiting for the baseball world.
“El Nido is being refurbished, getting a new lighting system, new playing surface, new sitting sections … a lot of fun is waiting for you,” he said.
Ortega is referring to the Baja California state government pledging to spend 100 million pesos ($5.2 million) on the venue and for infrastructure around the facility to improve streets and street lighting around the stadium.
Mexicali is located on the border about 120 miles east of Tijuana, it has just under 700,000 residents. The California city of Calexico is directly north of it. There are two ports of entry serving the region.
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