Major League Baseball is returning to Mexico City for Spring Training this year for the first time since 2004. The Houston Astros and San Diego Padres will play two exhibition games March 26 and 27 at Fray Nano Stadium in Mexico City.

The two games between the Astros and Padres will take place one week after the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Mexicali. The "Mexico City Series" is another effort by MLB, the Major League Baseball Player's Association and the Mayor's Office of Mexico City to promote the sport of baseball in Mexico, according to a press release from the MLB.

Teams Both Have History in Mexico

The Padres last appeared in Mexico for Spring Training in 2002, when they took on the Arizona Diamondbacks in Hermosillo. This will be team's seventh such trip to Mexico. San Diego played exhibition games in Mexico City in 1972 and 1981, in Tijuana in 1982, and in Culiacan in 1997 and 2001. The Padres also played three regular season games against the New York Mets in Monterrey in 1996 and the 1999 season opener against the Colorado Rockies as well.

The Astros were the most recent team to play in Mexico City, playing two games against the Florida Marlins there in 2004. The team has also participated in International Spring Training games in the Dominican Republic in 2000 and in Venezuela in 2001.

"Major League Baseball is thrilled to be back in Mexico City, and we are particularly excited to showcase two of our Clubs that play in such close proximity to Mexico," said MLB chief operating officer Tony Petitti. "As we further strengthen the relationship between MLB and Mexico, it is our hope that we can continue to present our game and its bright young stars to the fans of our southern neighbor for years to come." 

Teams are Excited to Return to Mexico

"Players on the Astros and Padres are looking forward to playing a pair of Spring Training games in Mexico City and in front of some of the sport's most passionate fans," said Omar Minaya, MLBPA senior adviser to the executive director. "The Players have long been committed to growing the global popularity of the game they love, and they recognize that Mexico has the potential to become one of baseball's hottest international markets."