Lee este artículo originalmente en español aquí.

South Jordan • On Saturday night, baseball fans lit up the Salt Lake Bees’ stadium at The Ballpark at America First Square with music, dance and love of the sport.

More than 8,000 baseball fans welcomed two teams from the Mexican Pacific League (Liga Mexicana del Pacífico) over the weekend, according to Miller Sports + Entertainment spokesperson Jenny Teemsma. This is the third year the company has organized the event.

The Águilas de Mexicali won 4-3 over the Jaguares de Nayarit, a team that is just starting its second season. Still, many attendees wore jerseys from other Mexican teams, like the Tomateros de Culiacán and the Charros de Jalisco, noted fan Marlen Martínez.

“It’s a type of event that is different from American baseball. There wouldn’t be this much of a party (or ‘fiesta’),” Martínez told The Salt Lake Tribune in Spanish.

“People just want to watch Mexican baseball,” she said. “I’ve seen a lot of jerseys from other places and these are not their teams, but they just came to the game because it’s something different.”

The event looked to celebrate Hispanic culture, highlighting the connection between sports and the community, Utah Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, who helped organize the event, said.

During the game, Minerva Brito Overstreet was rooting for the Águilas de Mexicali because it’s one of the teams she saw play as a child.

Raised in California, Mexican baseball was an essential part of Overstreet’s childhood thanks to her father Mike Brito’s passion for it. He was a Cuban scout who discovered the iconic pitcher and Major League Baseball player Fernando Valenzuela.

“I was born into baseball,” she said in Spanish. “When I was a little girl, we would cross the border, go to a hotel and go watch the games. It was a part of who I was.”

Before Escamilla threw the first pitch, the dance group “Danza y Color,” based in Utah, performed a series of Mexican regional dances. Director Zeniff Mejia noted the group has performed at local and national festivals recently as part of Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations.

“One of the art forms that best represents us is music and dance,” Mejia said in Spanish. “For us, being here in the United States — well it becomes a celebration, a way for us to, not only teach others about our roots, but most importantly give our children a sense of identity.”

Mejia said this type of event helps give hope to Latino families affected by the ongoing federal immigration enforcement crackdown in Utah.

“A lot of people are feeling the persecution, but at the same time, these types of spaces give us the opportunity to feel a bit more safe,” he said, adding that many are “suffering and battling this, but we can also enjoy and all be happy together.”

The event continued on Sunday with a mariachi concert, more dancing and a second game between the Águilas and Jaguares. The Jaguares triumphed with a 7 to 5 score after a walk-off two-run home run. Both teams will play again for the start of their winter season in October.

Béisbol en Salt Lake will come back in 2027, said Teemsma, with Miller Sports + Entertainment, in a statement.