Baseball's popularity spiked in Mexico following the team's success at the World Baseball Classic ©Getty Images

Major League Baseball (MLB) has capitalised on the success of the World Baseball Classic in Mexico by staging two games in the country.

Mexico reached the semi-final of the international event before narrowly losing 6-5 to Japan in Miami earlier this year.

"Those two weeks of the World Baseball Classic are probably the ones where everybody was talking about baseball across the country more than ever before," said Mexican Baseball League President Horacio de la Vega, as reported by The Associated Press.

"Clearly that outcome of the tournament is giving us a boost, we have packed stadiums in preseason games, while in the past we used to have them at 10-20 per cent capacity.

"We have an unprecedented appetite for baseball."

As a result of this interest, MLB teams San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants met twice at the Alfredo Harp Helú Stadium in Mexico City.

The Padres won a high-scoring thriller 16-11 in the first fixture before prevailing again the next day 6-4.

The MLB organised two matches between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants to capitalise on interest following the World Baseball Classic ©Getty Images
The MLB organised two matches between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants to capitalise on interest following the World Baseball Classic ©Getty Images

The MLB established an office in Mexico in 2016 and has made increasing baseball's popularity among children one of its priorities. 

It is aiming to host matches in the country annually until at least 2026.

The Padres were also involved in the first MLB game in 1996 when they faced the New York Mets in Monterrey.

"[The World Baseball Classic] was very significant for the country," said Mexican first baseman Joey Meneses.

"I think nobody expected what we did at the World Baseball Classic because we didn't have so many stars on the team.

"For us, it's very important baseball grows more because I think we have a lot of kids in Mexico, a lot of talent from Mexico."

The San Diego Padres won both games against the San Francisco Giants in the MLB World Tour in Mexico City ©Getty Images
The San Diego Padres won both games against the San Francisco Giants in the MLB World Tour in Mexico City ©Getty Images

The next tournament for Mexico is the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12, featuring the top 12 ranked countries in the world, before the next World Baseball Classic in 2026.

"In Mexico, there will be a radical, extreme change," Mexico's manager Benji Gil predicted after the loss to Japan in March.

"I don't know whether tomorrow, in one week, in one month, or in one year, but baseball will start growing.

"It will be the most important game again.

"These two weeks are going to attract so many young players in Mexico and also Mexicans that live abroad.

"For that reason, I believe that this was a victory, even when we didn't win today."