YANKEES PITCHER ACEVES HELPS OPEN YOUTH SEASON IN MEXICO CITY

New York Yankees pitcher Alfredo Aceves was on hand to help open the 47th season of the Liga Olmeca youth baseball and softball league in Mexico City this month. Aceves, who turned in a 10-1 record with a 3.54 ERA out of the bullpen for the World Champions this year, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at the inauguration, then stayed for hours until signing every autograph request.

The native of the Sonora city of San Luis Rio Colorado spoke with the hundreds of youngsters in attendance, encouraging them to work hard at becoming better ballplayers with a goal of making it to the majors as he himself has done. Aceves spent six seasons in the Mexican League pitching for Yucatan and Monterrey before Yankees scout Lee Sigman convinced the Bronx Bombers to purchase him from the Sultanes in 2008.

Sigman was in Mexico City for the Liga Olmeca opener along with fellow Yankees scout Carlos Fragoso, World Boxing Council president Jose Sulaiman, Mexico’s 1984 Summer Olympic gold medal race walker Raul Gonzalez, and Liga Olmeca president Carlos Islava.