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| Past, present Culiacan manager Benji Gil |
Benji
Gil had a most interesting month in November, even by Mexican
baseball standards. First, the former Rangers and Angels infielder
was picked to manage Mexico in next year's World Baseball Classic.
Then he was fired as manager of the Mexican Pacific League's Culiacan
Tomateros, only to be reinstated and back in the dugout within hours
of being sacked. Even for someone like Gil, as voluble as he is
volatile, that's a head-spinning series of events. Ready? Here we
go...
After
leading Mexico to a sixth-place finish at last year's Summer Olympics
in Tokyo, Gil will manage the Verdes Grande at the World Baseball
Classic 2023. The 50-year-old Gil served as a coach with the Los
Angeles Angels last summer under managers Joe Maddon and Phil Nevin
after managing Guadalajara's expansion team in the Mexican League in
2021, earning Manager of the Year honors that season. As a player,
Gil participated in the World Baseball Classic 2006. He played eight
MLB seasons as a utility infielder and was on the 2002 World
Series-winning Los Angeles Angels roster.
"Benji
Gil is a winner," commented National Team general manager
Rodrigo Lopez, a starting pitcher and Gil teammate for Mexico in the
2006 World Baseball Classic. "As a player, he is on the list of
World Series winners; as a manager, he's shown leadership, attitude
and passion. He is fluent in English and Spanish and knows the
Mexican Leagues as well as the Big Leagues."
Ranked
fourth in the world, Mexico will compete in Group C of the WBC and
face host USA (ranked fifth), Colombia (#11), Canada (#12) and Great
Britain (#23) in Phoenix from March 11 through 15 next year. So far,
so good but as November drew to a close, things got weird.
First,
he was fired last Monday as helmsman in Culiacan, where he had
managed the Tomateros to four pennants (but no Caribbean Series
titles) in six winters. However, the team had a cumulative 16-25
record this current season, including a last-place finish in the
first half with 14 wins over 35 contests. Bench coach Noe Munoz was
also let go as the team's board of directors issued the usual thanks
for professionalism to both as the door was hitting them on the way
out. While MLB fans may be shocked over the dismissal of a manager
who had been one win away from a fifth pennant since 2014 last
season, as Culiacan lost the LMP championship series to Jalisco in
seven contests last January, it's a common occurance south of the
border. What happened next, though, is a bit rarer.
In
officially announcing the ouster of both Gil and Munoz last Tuesday
at noon, a press release from the team stated that Tomateros bullpen
coach and former pitching star Francisco Campos (who also manages
Campeche in the Mexican League) would be Gil's replacement in the
dugout beginning with that night's home game against Guasave. This
brought an immediate response from the Culiacan players, who let the
board know in no uncertain terms during an impromptu meeting that
afternoon that they supported their deposed skipper. After the
meeting ended, it was announced by Campos himself (alongside sports
manager Mario Valdez) that both Gil and Munoz would be back that
night.
"Upon
arriving at the stadium, the boys approached me and told me that it's
nothing against me, that I shouldn't take it in that way, but they
wanted to talk to Benjamín to let him know that they want him to
return," said Campos, who remains as bullpen coach.
"They
asked for an opportunity to show that they can make a difference and
that they can make positive results to obtain victories, they wanted
Benjamin to return, Mr. Héctor (Ley, executive president) said that
they should talk to him and if I accepted, go ahead."
The
Tomateros indeed went ahead and split their first six games after
Gil's reprieve.
NARANJEROS
WIN, PULL ONE GAME AHEAD OF LOS MOCHIS
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| Monterrey OF Roberto Valenzuela |
With
just over three weeks remaining in the Mexican Pacific League's
regular season schedule, there has not been a lot of separation
between teams twelve games into the second-half standings. Los Mochis
was in the driver's seat a week ago but first-half champion
Hermosillo was never far behind and the two teams found themselves in
a tie for first on Saturday before the Naranjeros pulled into a
one-game lead by virtue of their 12-5 win at home over Monterrey
while the Caneros dropped a 5-1 decision to visiting Jalisco Sunday.
The
Orangemen had to overcome an early 3-0 deficit after Ricardo Serrano
socked a three-run homer off starter Jose Samayoa in the top of the
first, but knotted the game up at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame,
thanks in part to a two-run roundtripper by Luis Alfonso Cruz off
Sultanes opener Frank Duncan.
The two teams went back and for the the
next few innings and the score was 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth
when Cruz singled in Jasson Atondo and Scott Schebler scored on a
fielding error by Monterrey second baseman Alberto Carreon to make it
a 7-5 game. A five-run outburst in the eighth put the game away for
Hermosillo as Ramon Mendoza stroked an RBI double and Cesar Salazar,
Roberto Ramos (who'd homered earlier) and Atondo chipped in with
run-scoring singles to end the scoring as 11,395 spectators watched
at Estadio Sonora.
Hermosillo
now leads the LMP second half with a 9-3 record, just ahead of 8-4
Los Mochis. The Caneros fell at home to Jalisco Sunday, 5-1, as
Julian Ornelas scored on a sacrifice fly in the top of the third to
give the Charros a 1-0 lead that they'd build to 5-0 until Brayan
Mendoza plated the Caneros' lone run of the night on a Justin Dean
single. Ornelas went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, adding a
two-run homer off reliever Daniel Duarte in the top of the seventh.
Jalisco starter Brennan Bernardino and four relievers scattered 10
hits and four walks as Los Mochis went 2-for-14 with runners in
scoring position and stranded 15 on base. Nick Struck did not pitch
badly for the Caneros, allowing one earned run on three hits in four
innings, but his offense just couldn't put together enough support.
Just
off the Mex Pac pace are Mexicali and Obregon, who are tied for third
with identical 7-5 records. The Aguilas lost a tough 6-5 game in
Navojoa Sunday after trailing 6-0 heading into the seventh. Reynaldo
Rodriguez (a former twins farmhand) just missed hitting for the
cycle, delivering a double, triple and two-run homer for Mexicali.
Likewise, Obregon fell a game back by losing on the road in Guasave,
4-2, Sunday. The Yaquis could only gather seven hits, two by Victor
Mendoza, as Nico Tellache won his fifth for the Algodoneros.
Tellache
is one of five pitchers tied for second in wins in the LMP, one
behind the six of Hermosillo's Wilmer Rios. Rios has won five games
in a row with one no-decision since November 4, lowering his ERA from
7.84 to 2.24 in his last eight starts. Los Mochis' Luis Miranda,
who'd given up one earned run in his first seven starts, allowed four
against Jalisco last Friday and saw his ERA jump from 0.20 to 0.92
but that still leads the Mex Pac. Juan Pablo Oramas of Hermosillo is
second at 1.28 while Mazatlan's Casey Harman's 1.83 ranks third. Two
strikeouts separate the three league leaders as the 50 K's of Matt
Pobereyko (Guasave) and Manny Barreda (Culiacan) lead the 48 by Luis
Payan (Navojoa). Mazatlan's Elkin Alcala has recorded three saves
since the start of December to bring his season total to 15, three
more than the 12 each of Josh Leuke (Jalisco) and Brandon Koch
(Guasave).
Monterrey's
Roberto Valenzuela saw his batting average drop from .380 to .363
over his last six games but he still enjoys a comfortable lead over
Justin Dean (.339) and Yosmany Tomas (.330), both of Los Mochis.
Mexicali's Anthony Giansanti belted a homer against Mazatlan last
Tuesday to pull into a lead with Jesse Castillo of Guasave at 10
apiece. Obregon's Sebastian Valle is third with eight dingers. The
Caneros' Tomas now leads in RBIs with 37, ahead of Obregon teammates
Victor Mendoza (36) and Yadir Drake (35). A nice race in stolen bases
(so to speak) has developed between Randy Romero of Mazatlan and
Hermosillo's Jose Cardona, who have 18 and 17 swipes, respectively.
Justin Dean (Los Mochis) and Jared Oliva (Monterrey) are tied with 14
each.
LIM:
YUCATAN SOUTH CHAMP; MONCLOVA, PUEBLA IN FINALS
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| Puebla LIM P Hector Sepulveda |
In
restructuring the Mexican Winter League for a second season after its
revival last winter, the Mexican League created a somewhat-unwieldy
circuit with ten teams representing 14 LMB clubs (including four
combined squads) spread out over three divisions: Monclova, Monterrey
and Union Laguna in the North; Mexico City/Oaxaca, Veracruz/Leon and
Puebla in the Central; and Durango, Yucatan, Tabasco/Guadalajara and
Tijuana/Aguascalientes in the South.
The
format made for uneven scheduling and at least one team sitting out
every day during the regular season between October 12 and November
28. Teams in the LIM North and Central played 24 games each while LIM
South clubs, all playing in Yucatan towns, took the field 28 times.
It was determined at one time that the South Division playoff winner
would serve as a stand-alone champion among their larger group of
teams while North and Central playoff winners would meet in the Serie
del Principe for the nominal LIM championship, which was won by
Monclova last winter.
Yucatan
earned the LIM South title by defeating the combined
Tijuana/Aguascalientes club in three playoff games, including last
Thursday's 7-6 win in Uman. Leones starter Cesar Cervantes pitched
seven innings to earn the win while closer Anhuar Garcia got the
save. Garcia was the LIM's leader in salvados during the regular
season. Toros prospect Porfirio Guerrero was tagged with the loss.
"I'm
very happy and very proud of the boys,” said Leones sports manager
Santos Hernandez. “We're sure that they will continue to show great
capacity for this sport and I'm very grateful to all those fans who
have been supporting these future stars from day one."
Meanwhile,
Monclova and Puebla have already begun their Serie del Principe
rematch from last season, which was won by the Acereros in dramatic
fashion on Shawon Dunston, Junior's walkoff homer in the bottom of
the tenth in the fifth and deciding game. Monclova is managed by
Matias Carrillo while Hector Hurtado, who spent 22 seasons as a
catcher in the Mexican League, is dugout boss for the Pericos, who he
led to an LIM-best 16-7-1 record during the regular season.
The
first two games took place in Estadio Monclova, where Puebla won
Saturday's opener in a 2-1 pitcher's duel. Pericos starter Hector
Sepulveda contributed five shutout inning to earn the win while
Parakeets reliever Jose Hernandez sparkled by striking out all five
Acereros batters he faced in the seventh and eighth innings. Puebla
took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on Herman Alvarado's RBI
single and the visitors added a run in the eighth on a run-scoring
one-bagger by Giancarlo Servin. With runners at the corners and
nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, the Acereros pulled off a
double steal that brought Evan Carrillo home from third to break the
shutout bid and narrow Puebla's lead to one. That was as good as it
would get as Caleb Perez ultimately grounded to Luis Medina at third
for the final out.
MEXICAN
WINTER LEAGUE Final 2022 Standings
North:
Monclova 14-8-2, Monterrey 10-12-2, Union Laguna 9-13-2.
Central:
Puebla 16-7-1, Mexico City/Oaxaca 14-10-0, Veracruz/Leon 5-18-1.
South:
Yucatan 14-10-2, Tijuana/Aguascalientes 15-11-1, Tabasco/Guadalajara
12-12-2, Durango 9-17-1.
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