AXE FALLS ON MANAGERS IN HERMOSILLO, MEXICALI

Whoever first said that baseball managers are “hired to be fired” had a couple of object lessons provided on their behalf recently in the Mexican Pacific League, where two managers were given their pink slips despite both finishing one game out of first place in the first half final standings.

Exhibit A is Homar Rojas, who was let go by the Hermosillo Naranjeros after finishing the opening half with an 18-17 record, ten months after guiding the Orangemen to the Mex Pac pennant and a berth in the Caribbean Series. Rojas also won an LMP flag with Obregon in 2007-08. He will be replaced at the Hermosillo helm by Ever Magallenes, who was a coach with the Naranjeros under Vinny Castilla in 2008-09 and was recently hired as a minor league fielding coordinator for the Chicago White Sox.

Exhibit B is Dave Machemer, who was fired by the Mexicali Aguilas after also guiding his charges to an 18-17 mark. Machemer, who has been a minor league skipper with the World Series champion San Francisco Giants organization for several years, led Mexicali to a pennant in 1988-89. It was hoped Machemer would bring some of his old managerial magic back to a team that hasn’t won a Mex Pac pennant since 1998-99, but it’ll now be up to new skipper Marco Antonio Guzman to bring a title to Mexicali.