The Mexican Coors Field

Cuba is taking on South Africa at Foro Sol in Mexico City. The stadium is 7,345 feet about sea level. That's over 2,000 feet higher than the thin-aired Coors Field in Denver. The stadium features fences at 417 to center, 326 down the line to left and 333 down the line to right. That makes it two feet deeper to straightaway center, but much shorter to the gaps and corners than Coors.

You can imagine how the ball might carry at Foro Sol, and it has already. Frederich Cepeda hit an opposite field home run in the first inning to give Cuba a 1-0 lead.

Update (1:48 pm CST): The rare air is proving to be a problem for South African starter Barry Armitage. Frederich Cepeda lifted a two-run, opposite-field home run to right in the second inning. It's 3-0 Cuba.

Update (2:01 pm CST: Cepeda just homered again. This one was a no-doubter. It was a pull shot to right that didn't need the help of thin air. 5-0 Cuba in the third.

Update (2:33 pm CST: Hector Olivera homers the opposite way to right to lead off the Cuban half of the 5th. Another home run potentially aided by altitude. 6-0 Cuba.

Update (6:44 pm CST: The Cubans end up with six home runs, although South Africa did get on the board in the ninth. Cuba wins, 8-1.

No Holliday heading to Oakland

Beyond the Boxscore asks that we not assume Matt Holliday's production will falter now that he's leaving Coors Field for a more pitcher-friendly home park in Oakland. Among them:

Players perform better at home than on the road, all else being equal. That's what causes a home-field advantage! Across MLB in 2008, the average home OPS was .770 while the average road OPS was .730.

I think Holliday will do fine away from Coors, but his fantasy stats will not likely be those of a first-round pick like they have in the past. Holliday is not just switching parks, he's switching leagues, which means he's adjusting to seeing a lot of new pitchers, too.