Fact Check: Did Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove hire a breathing coach to prepare for Mexico City series?

San Diego Padres pitcher recently Joe Musgrove opened up on his meticulous preparation strategy ahead of the Mexico City series vs Giants.

The series was played out at the Estadio Alfred Harp Helu Stadium, situated at an elevation of 7000 feet. And he showed up with his breathing coach to acclimatize himself to the conditions.

Musgrove said:

"I've done a lot of the breathing stuff in the past so I'm kind of tapping back into that. I talked with my breath coach yesterday and he's given me some tips on how to kind of calibrate myself to the altitude as much as you can ..Performance-wise I'm going to go out and pitch my game."

Games played at such altitudes pose many difficulties for the pitchers, with their variations rendered ineffective.

Padres dominate Mexico City Series

The first game of the series was a high-scoring affair, with a total of 27 runs scored by both teams. Padres won the contest 16-11 with 11 home runs scored in total. The next game also ended 6-4 in favor of the Friars.

It was not all fun and joy off the field, however. Giants' Logan Webb told reporters about the stomach issues plaguing the Giants camp during the series.

“I think three-quarters of our clubhouse has the shits”

Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies are slated to face each other in 2024's edition of Mexico City Series.