Blue Wahoos Announce Exhibition Series with Mexican League's Sultanes de Monterrey

PENSACOLA, FL – In a joint press conference on Thursday, the Pensacola Blue Wahoos announced a two-game exhibition series against the Mexican League’s Sultanes de Monterrey set to be played April 2 and 3, 2024 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The series, which will bring the storied Mexican League franchise to Pensacola for the first time, marks an unprecedented collaboration between two renowned teams in the international baseball community.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome the Sultanes de Monterrey to Penscaola next April,” said Jonathan Griffith, president of the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. “We intend to make this series a fun-filled celebration of Latino culture, and the ways that people from different backgrounds can connect through baseball.”

“For the Sultanes de Monterrey, it is a great opportunity to play with the Blue Wahoos of Pensacola, and it is the beginning of a great relationship between the franchises for future players,” said Guillermo “Willie” Gonzalez, executive vice president of the Sultanes de Monterrey.

The Blue Wahoos will play the exhibition games as their alternate “Pensacola Pok-Ta-Pok” identity, reflecting an extension of Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión program. The Pok-Ta-Pok branding, launched in 2023 to international acclaim, connects a celebration of Latino culture in Pensacola with the Indigenous roots of competitive sport in North America. Pok-Ta-Pok, also known as the Mesoamerican ballgame, was played by pre-Columbian people since at least 1650 BC.

The exhibition series was made possible with the cooperation and coordination of the Blue Wahoos, Sultanes, Miami Marlins and Major League Baseball. The Sultanes are the oldest continuously-operated team in the Mexican League, which was classified by Minor League Baseball as a Triple-A league from 1967 to 2020. The series marks the first international competition of its kind in Pensacola.

In addition to exciting baseball action between two successful franchises, the two-game series will feature special cultural displays including food, music and entertainment from Pensacola’s Latino and Indigenous communities. The games will be available online through Minor League Baseball’s broadcast channels, as well as internationally in Mexico through Monterrey’s television infrastructure.

Tickets to the exhibition games are on sale now at bluewahoos.com and the Blue Wahoos Stadium ticket office, and will include a hot dog, chips and a drink. Blue Wahoos season ticket members will have first priority to secure their seats for this cultural celebration. Pensacola’s 2024 regular season will begin Friday, April 5 at home against the Mississippi Braves.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the exhibition game on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets to the exhibition game on Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. Founded in 2012, they have won Southern League Championships in 2017 and 2022. Their mission is to improve the quality of life for people in their community, and to make Pensacola the best place to live in the world.

The Sultanes de Monterrey, founded in 1939, play at the majestic Mobil Super Stadium and currently participate in the Mexican Baseball League from April to September and the Mexican Pacific League from October to January. The 10-time summer league champions are coached by two-time MLB All-Star Roberto Kelly, with whom they have lifted three North Division titles and a Serie del Rey; while in the winter league they are led by the greatest Mexican hitter in the major leagues, Vinicio Castilla.

To learn more about the Sultanes de Monterrey, visit their website at Sultanes.com.mx.