MEXICAN LEAGUE CANCELS 2020 SEASON

Aguascalientes slugger Saul Soto will sit in 2020

As reported on BBM last week, the Mexican League has decided to cancel the 2020 season over concerns due to the Wuhan virus. The death toll attributed to the pandemic in Mexico passed the 30,000 mark over the weekend out of a total of more than 255,000 confirmed infections. The China-bred virus has been particularly problematic in Mexico City, where both the LMB office and the Liga's flagship Diablos Rojos franchise are located.

In March, the LMB ordered training camps for all 16 teams to close while postponing the scheduled regular season, which had been scheduled to open April 6 in Monclova with the defending champion Acereros were to host rival Monterrey. After much subsequent discussion among team owners and federal health officials (during which Liga president Horacio de la Vega stated more than once that the loop could not afford to play games in empty ballparks), an August 7 date was given for an abbreviated 48-game regular season followed by a 12-team playoff that would last into November.

However, speculation in the Mexican media last week that the season was on the verge of being canceled became reality on Wednesday, July 1, when the LMB office issued a statement calling things off. Unsurprisingly, reactions were swiftly delivered. The translated statement is available in its entirety in the BBM archives.

Two LMB players expressed opinions on Twitter. A 22-year veteran, Aguascalientes designated hitter Saul Soto, who finished the 2019 season with 288 career Mexican League homers, was philosophical but wishes something more could have been done to help the people affected: "If the decision made by the LMB was 'no' to play in 2020, I know it would be for the health and good of everyone, but I also think that in team meetings, a general plan would have to come out to help all of us who depend on this beautiful sport." Soto, who turns 42 in August, hit .268 and belted 22 homers for the Rieleros last year.

Campeche second baseman Jasson Atondo, who was entering his sixth Liga season, called out observers he felt were happy the circuit decided not to play this year: "There are many who gloriously celebrate that there will be no LMB. Have you thought about how many people will stop receiving a salary for that? Players, coaching staff, batboys, writers, umpires, security guards, lockers, vendors, seat ushers, janitors and more." The 24-year-old Atondo was the Mexican Pacific League's Rookie of the Year playing with Hermosillo in 2018-19.

People like Soto and Atondo were not the only ones expressing their thoughts. Dos Laredos Tecolotes owner Jose Antonio Mansur was quoted on the El Fildeo website as saying players need to do a better job of saving money: "With all my love and respect for the players, I would say 'gentlemen, learn to save!' They do very well. According to the payrolls of the teams, on average they earn between 150,000 and 200,000 pesos (US$6,700-9,000) a month. It is a good salary.” Mansur added that players "should not attack the owners so much on social media, as if they did not have interesting salaries." Last week's official statement reads, in part, that "The LMB and its 16 teams agree to provide financial support to the players, as well as to the umpires," but does not specify any numbers.

Yucatan OF Yadir Drake to play in Cuba

The decision has left players scrambling for teams to earn a living with, with one in particular choosing to play in Cuba, which seems an odd choice at first glance. Yucatan outfielder Yadir Drake has agreed to suit up for Matanzaz Cocodrilos of the Cuban National Series, beginning in August. The 2017 Mexican League batting champion is a Matanzas native who will spend two months with his hometown team before reporting to the Guasave Algodoneros in October for the LMP season. Drake was a catcher from 2009-11 for the Cocodrilos, who won their first CNS title in 28 years last winter, and is returning home next month to fulfill a promise to his grandmother, according to Andy Yan of Swing Completo.

El Fildeo adds that the Puebla Pericos are looking into starting their own winterball league for players without a place to play in the Mex Pac. According to Pericos vice president Alfonso Lopez, the proposed loop would contain three teams with games to begin October 10 at Estadio Hermanos Serdan in Puebla, which would host all contests. The Veracruz Winter League, long an alternative for players not in the LMP, did not operate last winter and does not appear ready to fire back up for 2020-21. 

MEX PAC HOPING TO OPEN WINTERBALL CAMPAIGN OCTOBER 12

Playoff pregame activities in Culiacan

Although the Mexican League will not play a game in 2020 for the first time in its 95-year history, their winterball counterparts in northwest Mexico are planning to start their upcoming season on time. Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales will hold a videoconference this week with his ten team owners to confirm October 12 as the LMP's inaugural date for the 2020-21 season, contingent on health authorities giving the green light for games.

Puro Beisbol editor Fernando Ballesteros reports that people from three LMP clubs have told him the league plans to start up in three months, although all ten teams must sign off on the proposal. The Mex Pac's starting date has been a fluid one because the Junior Circuit had been waiting to see what the Mexican League was going to do before committing to setting their own schedule. With the LMB deciding last week to go dark, the calendar opened up for the LMP and allowed them to plan the schedule within their traditional timeframe of three months (October through December) for the regular season and January for a three-tiered playoff.

Unlike the Mexican League, which has no large television presence to help underwrite costs that might have allowed them to play in front of empty stands, the LMP signed a contract with England-based SKY Sports last winter that will help lessen the financial losses that Canizales has said will occur this winter, although Ballesteros is optimistic that teams will break even. SKY Sports is contracted to stream all Mex Pac games live this winter. The cost of a SKY subscription is currently just over $US42. Puro Beisbol states that each Mex Pac team is expected to receive between 12 and 15 million pesos (US$54,000-67,000) from the league office, an amount that will greatly benefit teams in smaller markets with smaller bank accounts like the Navojoa Mayos, Los Mochis Caneros and Guasave Algdoneros.

Although the SKY Sports contract should provide a financial shot in the arm to LMP teams, the debate continues over whether only Mexican players should be allowed this season. Although the ten owners have been split down the middle over the issue (the more well-off franchises want to bring in more expensive extraneros while the less-affluent clubs prefer more affordable homegrown talent), Ballesteros indicates a majority of owners may now be in favor of allowing imports. The topic will no doubt be brought up Wednesday.

Justine Siegal coached for Hermosillo in 2019-20

One more item that will likely be discussed is the situation in Mazatlan, where a June 30 deadline from the Caribbean Professional Baseball Confederation (CBPC) to resolve the ongoing dispute between the Venados and the City regarding control of Estadio Teodoro Mariscal for the coming season, including the Caribbean Series in late January. Ruben Castro of ESPN Deportes writes that the Venados have sent Mazatlan mayor Luis Guillermo Benitz Torres what they call a "very balanced agreement" between the two sides with advantages to neither in which the team seeks the ballpark "on loan" through the end of the Serie del Caribe. The agreement is said to leave all litigation between City and team in place until after a judge can hear the dispute in court.

Sinaloa governor Quirino Ordaz Coppel reportedly assured on radio that the Caribbean Series will be held in Mazatlan, but Castro says the LMP Assembly of Presidents are ready to select another venue for the Crown Jewel of Latin Baseball if an agreement is not in place when they convene their videoconference on Wednesday.

WBSC U-23 WORLD CUP POSTPONED UNTIL 2021

The Mexican League was not the only baseball-related activity south of the border to go by the wayside last week. The World Baseball Softball Confederation postponed its Under-23 Baseball World Cup, which had been scheduled to take place September 30 through October 9 in both Obregon and Los Mochis (with the majority of games going to Obregon's Estadio Yaquis). The tournament has been rescheduled for September 24 through October 3, 2021.

The following is adapted from a WBSC press release of June 20:

The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), together with the Mexican Baseball Federation and respective Local Organizing Committee (LOC), has announced the postponement of the 2020 WBSC U-23 Baseball World Cup to September 24 to October 3, 2021, in consideration of the global health and safety measures and travel limitations pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.

The world-championship event had been set to take place this year from September 30 to October 9 in the Mexican cities of Ciudad Obregon and Los Mochis.

“As we continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, the WBSC, as well as our hosts and all concerned stakeholders, consider the rescheduling of the U-23 Baseball World Cup to 2021 to be the best and safest course of action,” said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.

“While today’s decision is disappointing, I am confident that our Mexican hosts next year will be able to deliver the best-ever U-23 Baseball World Cup, where fans can fill the stadiums and cheer on their favorite National Teams, building upon the wave of momentum for our sport in the weeks following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

“The WBSC thanks the local authorities, PROBEIS and CONADE as well as the baseball officials in Mexico -- including our colleagues from the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League (LMP) -- for their support and collaboration.”

The venue plan of the U-23 Baseball World Cup includes the 16,000-seat Estadio Yaquis, which opened in 2016 and is the home of the Yaquis de Obregon of the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), and the recently renovated Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada, home of the LMP’s Cañeros de Los Mochis.

The 12 qualified teams competing for baseball’s world title in the U-23 category will remain as follows:

Africa (1): No. 24 South Africa
Americas (4): No. 5 Mexico, No. 7 Cuba, No. 8 Venezuela, No. 15 Nicaragua
Asia (3): No. 1 Japan, No. 4 Taiwan and No. 22 China
Europe (2): No. 16 Czech Republic and No. 19 Germany
Oceania (1): No. 39 New Zealand
Wild Card (1): No. 3 South Korea

Mexico celebrates 2018 U-23 World Cup win

Mexico won the last U-23 Baseball World Cup, which was held in Barranquilla, Colombia, in October 2018. It was Mexico’s first-ever official world title in the sport of baseball.

Previous U-23 Baseball World Cups have included the top young professional players from clubs affiliated to the Australian Baseball League (ABL), Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL), Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), Major League Baseball (MLB), Mexican Baseball League (LMB), Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), in addition to other leagues around the world.

The WBSC, together with the respective Mexican host, will continue to monitor and review the timing of the U-15 Baseball World Cup (October 30-November 8) and the Women’s Baseball World Cup (November 12-21), both in Tijuana.

BBM EXTRA: MEXICAN LEAGUE CANCELS 2020 SEASON

The Mexican League has canceled its 2020 season, marking the first time in the loop's 95-year history that no games will have been played. After media outlets in Mexico reported earlier this week that the move was pending the LMB office in Mexico City issued this (translated) official statement on Wednesday:

Mexico City (lmb.com.mx) July 01 - The Mexican Baseball League (LMB) reports that, derived from the multiple meetings held with the federal health authorities as well as the arguments made by the State Governments regarding to the health of its inhabitants and conversations with Minor League Baseball (MiLB), to which we are affiliated, the 16 owners of the LMB teams together with the Mexican Baseball League have made the difficult decision not to carry out the 2020 season.

We owe much to Baseball and we had the firm objective of launching the activities of our sport. However, to date it is considered that the conditions do not exist that guarantee the integrity of our fans, players, members of the technical bodies, umpires and the staff of collaborators.

This determination was reached adhering to the indications and projections of the health authorities and the opening traffic light by state entity.

Being a responsible national league and with a great interest in evolving, we present the following actions:

1) The LMB and its 16 teams agree to provide financial support to the players as well as to the Umpires corps.

2) We will take advantage of the time of a forced pause to implement a deep re-engineering that will allow us to innovate and strengthen ourselves by 2021

3) We will generate a new and updated Governance System (Statutes and Regulations) that the LMB has not implemented in the last 30 years.

4) We will invest in the technological and digital transformation of the LMB, thus facing the challenges that the future has for our sport.

5) We will invest in a television and media infrastructure, turning our weakness into a strength towards the future.

For the first time in 95 years we are forced to make a resolution of this magnitude. However, be assured that upon our return, we will outline an advanced version as has never been seen in the history of the Mexican Baseball League.

In related news, the WBSC Under-23 Baseball World Cup, scheduled for Obregon and Los Mochis in October, has been postponed until 2021. We'll have complete stories on both developments in next Monday's edition of Baseball Mexico.

DE LA VEGA, CANIZALES: WE WILL LOSE MONEY

In recent interviews, presidents of both the Mexican League and Mexican Pacific League said their respective circuits and teams WILL lose money in their coming seasons regardless of how their schedules work out. While there's nothing unusual about Mexican professional baseball teams finishing in the red financially at the end of a season, it's unheard of for leaders of the country's top two leagues to predict such an outcome before a game is played.

However, due to the Wuhan virus, the "unheard of" is becoming commonplace throughout the world of baseball. It's no different in Mexico, where as of Sunday, over 113,000 people had contracted the virus and total deaths were approaching the 14,000 mark. All leagues south of the border have postponed their seasons indefinitely and while the Mexican League is hoping to play a shortened 48-game season plus playoffs beginning August 7, one call from a federal health authority could scuttle that plan.

Facing that uncertainly, both Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega and his Mexican Pacific League counterpart, Omar Canizales, are already hoisting fiscal white flags and hoping to minimize the pending damage the Wuhan virus will cause their loops. "We are in a losing scenario," de la Vega told the El Jonronero website. "The teams are not going to gain or break even. We are trying to minimize costs to the maximum." The LMB's proposed schedule would partly address that by eliminating games outside a team's division in order to cut air travel costs while avoiding potential contagions.

De la Vega, who noted his 45th birthday last week, says the majority of Mexican League teams can't afford to play games behind closed doors as leagues in Asia have done because they can't survive without gate receipts or concessions and merchandise sales, but he admits they may have no choice in some places: "The entire league can't play behind closed doors, but if in a particular state the local authorities mandate that the only possibility is to play behind closed doors, we are considering that some places may start behind closed doors." The governor of Coahuila, where three LMB teams play (including defending champion Monclova), has said that teams will have to limit the number of people admitted to ballparks in order to adhere to social distancing policies.

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales

Meanwhile, LMP president Canizales echoes de la Vega's assessment that his league is likely going to come up short on the profit/loss statements in the 2020-21 season. One possible result may be Mex Pac teams relying on domestic talent more than players from the United States and elsewhere, who generally cost more money: "We would have to wait and see what kind of players we have available when we start the season so as to make a decision if we are going to bring in foreigners or give priority, as we want to do, to Mexicans." Canizales notes that Major League Baseball has cut dozens of minor leaguers, including at least 14 Mexicans who may be home and available for Mex Pac training camps. "I think we would give priority to our native Mexicans who've played in minor leagues than foreigners," he said, "but the decision of how many foreigners we are going to play with in the season has not yet been made."

Regardless of where players come from, Canizales repeats de la Vega's refrain that his league and its ten teams will look to cut expenses wherever they can, including salaries on the field and in the front office. "It is very likely that we all have to sacrifice something in order to make the season feasible, trying to make the players least affected, but I think it will be necessary to make some adjustments," he said by telephone to RG La Deportiva. "Everything will depend on the level at which we are allowed to play in terms of stadium occupancy," alluding to the possibility that the LMP may have to play in front of unoccupied stands.

Canizales says that the MexPac is now penciling in November 15 as opening day, a month later than usual, should the Mexican League playoffs go into November for the first time ever. He adds that there are three more LMP league meetings between now and October. "We are not against the wall. There is time."

JUAN NAVARRETE NAMED NEW HERMOSILLO MANAGER

After their somewhat convoluted firing of Vinny Castilla last month, the Hermosillo Naranjeros have named Juan Navarrete as their manager for the upcoming 2020-21 Mexican Pacific League season. A former MLB All-Star, Castilla was reportedly let go by the Orangemen sometime in April, but no announcement was made of his firing until last month after some mixed signals from the team as to whether or not the Oaxaca native was still at the helm.

It will not be the first time Navarrete has entered a confusing situation as an LMP manager. His hiring as the first dugout boss of the expansion Guasave Algodoneros was announced at a press conference last June, although his duties as an instructor in the Oakland A's minor league system prevented him from attending. However, Navarette never came to formal terms with new owner Alfredo Aramburo, who bought the team after the reported hiring in mid-July, and ex-MLB pitcher Rigo Beltran ended up being the Cottoneers new skipper instead. Beltran lasted less than a month into last season before he was fired.

Although he's been a manager, coach and instructor in the Oakland system for over two decades after playing minor league ball for seven seasons for the Montreal Expos in the 1970's (he was a teammate of Hall of Famers Gary Carter and Andre Dawson), the Gomez Palacio-born Navarrete spent most of his 21-year playing career as a second baseman in the Mexican League, where he hit .327 with 1,979 hits over 1,607 LMB games before retiring in 1990. He also spent 19 winters playing in the Mex Pac. He was elected to the Salon de la Fama in 1998, by which time his second baseball career was already well underway. Navarrete has tutored such future MLB All-Stars as Miguel Tejada and Max Muncy and is currently a defensive coordinator in the Oakland system.

Monterrey Industriales player-manager Juan Navarrete

Navarrete had already been a Liga player-manager for both Saltillo and the old Monterrey Industriales before he returned to the Saraperos in 1991 for two years as skipper. He then moved in 1993 to Villahermosa, where he piloted the Tabasco Olmecas to their only Liga championship in their 45-year history. Navarrete spent one more year managing the Olmecas before spending the next 25 summers north of the border (although he did return to Tabasco in 2004 and took the team to a 48-48 record and a first-round playoff exit). He's also managed A's farm teams in the Arizona, California and Northwest leagues, winning the 1996 AZL flag.

Besides playing nearly two decades in winterball for Obregon, Navojoa, Mexicali and Guaymas, Navarrete has managed five teams in the LMP: Guasave, Jalisco, Obregon, Mexicali and Los Mochis. He was named Manager of the Year in 2014-15 after leading the Jalisco Charros to a 46-26 record their first year in Guadalajara after moving from Guasave.

Now he'll put on a Naranjeros uniform for the first time as a player or manager, replacing another Mexican baseball legend in Castilla, who took Hermosillo to a 38-27 record in his first year at the helm before falling to Mazatlan in six games in their first-round playoff series. In announcing the 66-year-old Navarrete's hiring, Orangemen general director Pablo de la Pena said about Castilla's ouster, "It was considered that some things failed and the sporting goal was not reached." De la Pena then explained why Navarrete was chosen: "We sought experience and knowledge of the league. We believe that his knowledge and his way of communicating with the players will help us to achieve good results." That same experience and knowledge informs Navarrete what will happen if he doesn't.

The hiring leaves Monterrey and Mexicali as the last two LMP franchises with unsettled managerial situations. The Sultanes have not confirmed that Homar Rojas will be back with the team while the Aguilas have been mum about Pedro Mere's status. Otherwise, besides Navarrete in Hermosillo, the other seven Mex Pac skippers going into the season will be Roberto Vizcarra in Jalisco, Juan José Pacho in Mazatlan, Benji Gil in Culiacán, Oscar Robles in Guasave, Victor Bojorquez in Los Mochis, Lorenzo Bundy in Navojoa, and Sergio Gastelum in Obregón.

TIJUANA TO HOST TWO BASEBALL WORLD CUPS IN NOVEMBER

Two WBSC Baseball World Cups awarded to Tijuana

If the baseball season ever gets started, 2020 will be a good year for international competition in Mexico. On the heels of both Obregon and Los Mochis being named co-hosts of the World Baseball Softball Confederation's U-23 Baseball World Cup between September 30 and October 9, the organization has awarded two more similar tournaments to Tijuana in November (contingent on the Wuhan virus being abated or eliminated altogether in Mexico's sixth-largest city by then).

The fifth U-15 Baseball World Cup is slated for the so-called "Heart Between Two Seas" between October 30 and November 8, with the ninth Women's Baseball World Cup to be played from November 12 to the 21st. Games for both tournaments will be played at La Nida, the 17,000-seat home of the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros, although another venue such as the smaller Estadio Angel Camarena may be pressed into duty if the need for another field arises, especially if the Toros make a playoff run into November. Estadio Camarena, which is being remodeled, was to be the home of the expansion Otay Inustriales of the Northern Mexico League, but the LNM is struggling for survival with an uncertain future. Another ballpark, the 5,000-seat Estadio Manuel Cecena, sits 30 miles to the east in Tecate as a last resort.

WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari said, "Having Tijuana confirmed to host two major WBSC World Cup events in a row represents how much baseball means to the city. This is the first time we've had a city host two World Cups in our history, providing a wonderful opportunity to celebrate baseball and sport as we await the restart of the international calendar."

The U-15 Baseball World Cup had originally been scheduled for August before the pandemic shut baseball down in most of the countries taking part. Of the twelve teams expected to take part, eight currently hold Top 12 status in the WBSC's latest rankings for that category: Japan (1), United States (2), Taiwan (4), Mexico (5), Cuba (7), Venezuela (8), Dominican Republic (10) and Panama (12). Rounding out the field will be Italy (17), Germany (19), So. Africa (24) and Guam (36).

This will mark the first time that Guam has sent a contingent to any World Cup competition since being admitted to the International Baseball Federation (the WBSC's predecessor) in the 1980's after winning the Oceania championship last year. Japan, the United States and Germany won their continental tournaments while South Africa was chosen as Africa's representative after no qualifier was held there. The USA defeated host Panama in the title game of the 2018 U-15 Baseball World Cup while Taiwan finished third.

Mexico pitcher Rosy del Castillo

The Women's Baseball World Cup will likewise feature twelve nations, eight of them ranked in the WBSC's Top 12: Japan (1), Canada (2), Taiwan (3), Venezuela (4), United States (5), Australia (6), Cuba (8) and the Dominican Republic (9). Also represented will be The Netherlands (11), host Mexico (14), the Philippines (15) and France (18). The latter three are making their first-ever appearance at the Women's Baseball World Cup. Like the U-15 tournament, this competition was postponed after originally being scheduled for September.

Japan defeated Taiwan in the 2018 championship game in Florida for their sixth straight World Cup title and will come to Tijuana riding a 30-game win streak. The USA won the first two World Cups in 2004 and 2006. Not only will this be Mexico's first time playing in a Baseball World Cup, last year marked their initial entry in women's baseball competition. Last August 19, in their opening game at the first Pan Am Women's Baseball Championship held in Aguascalientes, pitchers Rosy del Castillo and Veronica Romo combined on a no-hitter in a 16-0 win over fellow debutante Nicaragua. Mexico went on to finish fourth in the eight-team event, overseen by the Pan American Baseball Confederation (or COPABE).

NEW IBAF CHIEF WANTS WORLD CUP TO BE WBC QUALIFIER

The newly-installed president of the International Baseball Federation wants the IBAF’s World Cup tournament to serve as a qualifier for the next World Baseball Classic.

Italy’s Riccardo Fraccari, who was elected in December to replace Harvey Schiller of the USA as IBAF chief, says, “It is our duty to answer for member countries that qualification for the WBC can be handled by the IBAF.” The IBAF, which was formed in 1938, has 112 member countries, including all 16 nations in each of the first two WBC’s.

Major League Baseball has overseen the selection of WBC competitors in 2006 and 2009. The next WBC is set for 2013. Speaking in Cuba, Fraccari said, “We should discuss this with the majors. It isn’t decided yet, but I think we can expand on the issue.”

MEXICO KNOCKED OUT OF BASEBALL WORLD CUP

The Mexican National Team dropped their final three games of the second round at the Baseball World Cup in Italy to be eliminated from third round contention in the tournament.

The Verde Grande followed their heartbreaking 1-0 defeat to Taiwan on Friday, September 18 by losing two more games last weekend to end the second round with a 2-5 record, finishing tied for fifth place with Japan in the Pool G standings. The United States was a perfect 7-0 in the second round, while Australia, Canada and Taiwan tied for second at 5-2. The Netherlands, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Venezuela advanced to the third round coming out of Pool F. The USA was slated to meet Cuba on Sunday, September 27, for the World Cup title.

Mexico fell to the United States, 7-3, on Saturday, September 19 to be mathematically crossed out. The Mexicans were held to four hits by USA pitchers and never led. The Americans took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Jon Weber scored on Lucas May’s double. Josh Kroeger scored on Weber’s fielder’s choice grounder in the fourth, and the score went to 4-0 one inning later when Daniel Descalso led off the fifth with a homer and Justin Smoak later scored on Terry Tiffee’s two-bagger.

Mexico finally got on the board in the fifth when Carlos Valencia broke up Trevor Reckling’s bid for a no-hitter by doubling in Mario Valenzuela, who led off the frame by reaching first base on an error by USA third baseman Pedro Alvarez, but this game belonged to the Yanquis.

Mexico then wrapped up their World Cup stint Sunday, September 20 with a 6-5 loss to Australia. Unlike Saturday’s game, in which the Mexicans were never really in contention with the Americans, the Big Green fought back from a 6-3 deficit with two runs in the ninth inning and had the tying run on third base with two out. Abel Martinez followed Oswaldo Morejon’s leadoff single by whacking a two-run homer to make it 6-5. Ivan Terrazas then singled, moved to second on Oscar Robles’ groundout and then to third on another groundout by Cristian Presichi. With two out, Noe Munoz was plunked by a Brendan Wise pitch to give Mexico runners at the corners. However, the game ended when Tim Cox came out of the Aussie bullpen and induced Jesus Cota into flying out to former major leaguer Chris Snelling in left field to end the contest.

Mexico finished two rounds of World Cup play with a 5-5 record. Presichi led team batters by hitting .382, tying Cota for the top of the hits list with 13. Cota belted four homers, including three in one game, and led Mexico with eight RBIs. Among pitchers, reliever Arturo Lopez had a 1.12 ERA in eight innings over five appearances and starter Oscar Rivera was sharp, striking out 17 batters in 11.1 innings en route to a 1.59 ERA. Nobody won more than one game as Mexico outscored opponents by a 55-to-47 margin in ten games. Overall, it was a decent showing but with a disappointing ending.

RALLY FALLS SHORT AS WORLD CUP ENDS FOR MEXICO

Although they ended up losing their third straight game, Mexico definitely made thing interesting to the end in a 6-5 loss to Australia Sunday at the Baseball World Cup in Macarata, Italy. The defeat ended the second-round schedule for the Mexicans, who were eliminated from contention one day earlier with a loss to the United States.

Trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of Sunday's ninth inning, Oswaldo Morejon led off with a single before Abel Martinez (pictured) strode to the plate and blasted a two-run homer to bring Mexico to within one run of Australia with nobody out.

At that point, Aussie pitcher Matthew Williams was replaced by Adam Bright, who was greeted by a single to right field by Ivan Terrazas. Terrazas advanced to second on an Oscar Robles tapper to the mound, and then to third on Cristian Presichi's 5-4 groundout.

Mexico stayed alive when Noe Munoz was struck by a pitch from Brendan Wise, Australia's third pitcher of the inning, to put runner at the corners with two men down. Tim Cox then became the Aussies' fourth pitcher of the entrada when he strolled in from the bullpen to face Jesus Cota, who was batting .325 with four homers in nine BWC games. With the count at 2-2, Cota hit a Cox pitch into left field, where former major leaguer Chris Snelling made the catch to end the game and Mexico's World Cup run for 2009.

Paul Mildren was awarded the win with two scoreless innings in relief as Australia sent eight men to the mound in the contest. Francisco Cordova was pinned with the loss for Mexico after allowing two runs on four hits in 1.2 innings of relief.

Both teams collected ten hits for the game, as Martinez finished with a double, homer, two runs and three RBIs for the Verde Grande. Mario Valenzuela clubbed a solo homer in the fourth for the Mexicans.

Mexico ended the secound round with a 2-5 record to finish in a tie with Japan for fifth place in the eight-team Pool G standings. Overall, the team was 5-5 under manager Enrique "Che" Reyes.

MEXICO FALLS TO USA, 7-3; OUT OF THIRD ROUND BWC CONTENTION

What began with the makings of a Cinderella run at the Baseball World Cup in Europe is going to come to a close for the Mexican National Team on Sunday. The Verde Grande were officially eliminated from contention for a berth in the BWC’s final round with a 7-3 loss to the United States Saturday in Vicenza.

After going 3-0 to sweep Group A pool play in the Czech Republic in mid-September, Mexico has struggled in the second round, winning just two of their first six games. Saturday’s loss came on the heels of Friday’s frustrating 1-0 loss to Taiwan in ten innings.

The Mexicans never led in Saturday’s game, as USA pitchers combined to hold Mexico batters to four hits on the night. The Americans drew first blood when Jon Weber scored on Lucas May’s double. Two innings later, Josh Kroeger scored on Weber’s fielder’s choice grounder in the top of the fourth. The score was stretched to 4-0 one inning later when Daniel Descalso led of the fifth with a homer and Justin Smoak later scored on Terry Tiffee’s two-bagger.

Mexico finally put a run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Mario Valenzuela led off the inning by reaching first base on an error by USA third baseman Pedro Alvarez. Carlos Valencia came to the plate next and broke up Trevor Reckling’s no-hit bid with a double, scoring Valenzuela. Valencia subsequently plated a run on an Oswaldo Morejon flyout to center field.

The Americans scored once more in the sixth to make it a 5-2 game, and Mexico came back with a counter of their own in the bottom of the frame when Oscar Robles led off with a walk, moved to third on a Cristian Presichi (pictured) double, and came in to score on an Edgar Quintero flyout to left.

Two more runs for the USA in the seventh widened their lead to 7-3, and Mexico was unable to mount a threat the rest of the way as Abel Martinez grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.

Reckling won his second game of the tournament for the Americans, going five-plus innings and combining with four relievers on the four-hitter. Andres Meza took the loss for Mexico but giving up four runs on six hits and a walk in 4-2 innings. Nobody in the Mexican lineup got more than one hit. Although Mexico has cooled considerably at the plate their last wo games, Presichi has continued to smoke the ball. He's batting a team-best .448 with 13 hits for through eight World Cup games.

Mexico will wrap up its appearance in the World Cup Sunday against Australia

MEXICAN NATIONALS STRUGGLING IN BWC SECOND ROUND

After running the table with a perfect 3-0 record in Pool A first round play at the Baseball World Cup, the Mexican National Team is finding things tougher in the second round of the tournament. Mexico went 2-3 over the first five of seven Pool G contests in Italy, including a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Taiwan Friday night in Verona.

In that one, both teams combined for just eight hits and the score was 0-0 going into the bottom of the tenth inning. Reliever Arturo Lopez was pulled with the bases loaded and one out in the tenth, and a wild pitch by incoming hurler Hector Navarro brought in the game-ending run by Chia-Hao Chang, who was the only Taiwanese baserunner to get past second base to that point. Mexican starter Oscar Rivera went 6.1 shutout innings, striking out 11 batters and allowing four hits. Lopez tossed 2.2 frames and gave up just one scratch single. Navarro shouldn’t bear all the blame for Mexico’s loss, though. The Grande Verde had runners in scoring position no less than four times, including a bases-loaded situation in the top of the tenth.

The second round started off with a thud last Sunday, as Japan beat Mexico, 9-3, in Parma. The game was tied 3-3 in the sixth inning before the Japanese reeled off six unanswered runs the rest of the way for the win. Cristian Presichi and Sergio Contreras each had two hits for Mexico, but Edgar Quintero was held hitless one day after exploding with a 5-for-5 day a the plate in a first-round win over Australia.

Mexico came back Monday with a 6-3 win over host nation Italy in Bologna. Centerfielder Ivan Terrazas led the way with three hits (including a homer), scoring two runs and collecting three RBIs. Shortstop Oscar Robles added three hits and two walks in five plate appearances. Arturo Lopez got the win in relief.

After rain washed out Tuesday’s action, Mexico fell to Canada, 4-2, Wednesday in Godo. Saul Soto whacked a two-run homer in the eighth inning, but it came too late as the Canadians had built up a 4-0 lead by then. Canada starter Nic Bucci was solid, holding Mexico scoreless on four hits before being relieved with one out in the fifth inning. Rafael Diaz took the loss for Mexico.

On Thursday, Mexico survived an upset bid by the Netherlands Antilles, who took an early 6-0 lead before succumbing to the Mexicans, 9-8, in San Marino. Mexico chipped away at their deficit with a solo homer from Edgar Quintero in the second inning, three runs in the fourth, and a big five-run sixth inning as Abel Martinez singled in two runs and Cristian Presichi doubled in two more to put Mexico in front, 9-7. Hugo Castellanos earned the win with 4.1 solid innings in relief of starter Francisco Cordoba.

Mexico was to wrap up the second round with games against the USA Saturday and Australia Sunday. Both are must-win games, as only the top four teams in Pool G will advance to the third and final round. The USA leads at 4-0, Australia and Taiwan are tied for second at 4-1, and Canada in fourth at 3-2. Mexico stands fifth at 2-3.

MEXICO LOSES 1-0 HEARTBREAKER IN WILD FINISH

This one hurt. Really hurt.

One wild pitch undid a superb pitching effort by Oscar Rivera (pictured) and Arturo Lopez as Mexico lost a 1-0 Baseball World Cup game to Taiwan in ten innings Friday at Verona, Italy. The defeat left the Mexicans with a 2-3 record in second round pool play, while Taiwan moved to 4-1.

The game was a pitcher’s battle all the way, as the two teams combined for just eight hits over ten frames. Taiwan starter Yen-Feng Lin was especially sharp, allowing just three hits over nine innings. Rivera matched zeroes with Lin for 6.1 innings, letting up just four Taiwan singles with one walk while striking out 11 matters. Lopez came on with one out in the seventh and allowed one single and no runs in 2.2 innings.

Lopez was pulled with one out in the bottom of the tenth with the bases loaded, although the online account on the BWC website was muddled as to how that happened. Hector Navarro, who has pitched effectively in relief in Europe, was brought in from the bullpen to face Kuo-Min Lin. Navarro’s first pitch was wild, however, bringing in pinch-runner Chia-Hao Chang with the game-ending run. Chang was the first Taiwanese runner to get past second base the entire game.

Navarro can’t be held solely responsible for Mexico’s bitterly disappointing loss because the Verde Grande had no less than four opportunities to score despite gathering only three hits for the contest.

Edgar Quintero sliced a one-out double to left field in the fifth and advanced to third on Carlos Valencia’s 5-3 groundout, but Ivan Terrazas dinked a tapper to the first baseman, who tossed the ball to pitcher Lin (one of seven players with that surname on the field for Taiwan) for the third and final out.

Then, in the seventh, Cristian Presichi opened the inning with a double. Presichi stayed on second when Jesus Cota flew out to left, but advanced to third when Saul Soto fouled out to right. Quintero then struck out on five pitches to end the threat.

In the ninth, Eduardo Arredondo led off with a walk, then advanced to second on an Oscar Robles groundout. Presichi walked to give Mexico two baserunners with one out. However, Cota lined out to left for the second out as both runners held, and Soto bounced into a 4-6 fielder’s choice as Presichi was cut down at second.

Finally, facing reliever Yu-Ching Lin, the Mexicans gave it one last shot in the top of the tenth. With two out and the bases loaded, Cota went down swinging on four pitches to end the rally with Terrazas standing ninety feet away from paydirt at third.

Mexico will face the 4-0 United States on Saturday in Vicenzo, Italy.

MEXICO SURVIVES 6-0 DEFICIT TO BEAT DUTCH ANTILLES

It looked like a potential disaster was brewing after falling behind 5-0 before even getting their first licks at the plate, but Mexico somehow overcame an eventual 6-0 disadvantage to survive a game against the Netherland Antilles with a 9-8 knucklelbiter of a win Thursday night in San Marino. Mexico evened their second round record in the Baseball World Cup at 2-2, while the Dutch Antilles fell to 0-3.

This one started ugly for the Mexicans as the Antilles scored five runs in the top of the first inning, keyed by an Ulrich Snijders grand slam homer off starter Francisco Cordoba. The Antilles added another run in the second off an Ardley Jansen RBI single to make it 6-0, spelling the end of Cordoba’s night (although only two of the runs he allowed were earned, as Mexico committed two errors in the field behind him). Hugo Castellanos (pictured) came out of the bullpen to get the third out, but the Verde Grande found themselves in a deep, early hole to dig out of. And dig they did.

Edgar Quintero put Mexico on the board with a solo homer in the bottom of the second, but they really started to chip away at the lead with a three-run fourth. Cristian Presichi opened the inning with a double and scored on Jesus Cota’s single. Cota then came in on three consecutive walks given up by Dutch Antilles Johannes Gregorius. Still with nobody out, Christian Quintero plated a run on a Noe Munoz double-play grounder to second to put the score at 6-4.

The Dutch Antilles went back up by three when Castellanos coughed up a leadoff homer to Lorvin Louisa in the top of the fifth, but Mexico came storming back one inning later with five big runs in the sixth to take a 9-7 lead. Abel Martinez singled in two runs and Presichi doubled in two more to put the Mexicans ahead for the first time in the game before Cota capped the outburst with a run-scoring single.

The Dutch Antilles did not go quietly into the good night, scoring once more in the top of the seventh on a Dijonny Joubert RBI single off Juan Quintanilla, but Quintanilla got out of the inning without any further damage, leaving it to Alan Guerrero and Hector Navarro to close out a win that ended up being a lot closer than anyone thought it would be.

Presichi and Cota each went 3-for-5 with two RBIs, while Martinez finished with two hits and two ribbies. Castellanos picked up the win in relief by pitching 4.1 innings and letting in two runs on three hits. Navarro was awarded the save by tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Mexico will not have much time to breathe a collective sigh of relief. They’ll face Taiwan Friday night in Verona. Taiwan is 3-1 in Pool G competition after taking a fierce 14-3 pounding Thursday at the hands of the 4-0 United States in a game that was halted after seven innings by the mercy rule. Mexico defeated Taiwan, 8-0, in the opening first round game September 9 in Prague.

Right now, however, that seems like a long time ago.

SOTO HOMERS, BUT MEXICO FALLS TO CANADA, 4-2

Catcher Saul Soto belted a two-run home run to left field in the eighth inning, but it wasn’t nearly enough for Mexico as the Verde Grande dropped a 4-2 decision to Canada Wednesday in a World Baseball Cup second round contest in Godo, Italy. The contest had to be rescheduled from Tuesday after rain forced postponement of all BWC games in both Italy and The Netherlands.

The Canadians jumped out to the lead in the top of the first inning when Adam Stern scored from third base on Brett Lawrie’s flyout to right field. One out later, Tim Smith singled through the right side of the Mexican infield to plate Rene Tosoni with another counter, making the score 2-0. Canada scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings, both on Shawn Bowman RBI singles in both innings, but the real story in this game was starting pitcher Nic Bucci (pictured).

The 2008 Milwaukee Brewers draft pick out of Sarnia, Ontario held Mexico scoreless on four hits while striking out five before being pulled with one out in the fifth inning. Although reliever Trystan Magnuson was awarded the win after pitching 1.2 hitless frames, it was Bucci who kept the Mexican batters at bay while his offense mounted enough runs to take a 4-0 advantage into the bottom of the sixth.

Soto finally broke the spell by clobbering a 3-1 pitch from Vince Perkins over the wall after Jesus Cota opened the eighth with a single up the middle and then advanced on Perkins’ wild pitch to Soto. However, that was the most life Mexico was to show at the plate for the night as Cristian Presichi, Edgar Quintero and Sergio Contreras all grounded out to finish the inning. With two out in the ninth, the Mexicans stayed alive when Ivan Terrazas singled and Oscar Robles walked, but pitcher Robert Swindle got Cota to strike out swinging to end the ballgame.

Starter Rafael Diaz took the loss after struggling over 5.2 innings, allowing all four Canadian runs on eight hits, a walk and a wild pitch. Four relievers combined to hold Canada scoreless on just one scratch single the rest of the way, but Mexico wasn’t able to capitalize on the strong work from the bullpen.

Mexico will take a 1-2 second round record into Thursday’s scheduled Pool G game in San Marino against the Netherlands Antilles, who have allowed 30 runs over two losses. Taiwan and the USA are tied for the Pool G lead at 3-0, Puerto Rico is third at 2-1, and Mexico, Canada and Japan are all 1-2.

TERRAZAS TEARS UP ITALIANS IN 6-3 WIN

Ivan Terrazas (pictured, sliding into home plate) batted 3-for-5 with a homer, two runs scored and three driven in to lead Mexico to a 6-3 win over Italy on Monday in Bologna. The win evened Mexico's record at 1-1 in the second round of the Baseball World Cup, and marked the second time in four days the Grande Verde has defeated a team on its own soil.

Terrazas opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning by trotting home from third on a bases-loaded walk to Cristian Presichi. He then drove in Abel Martinez with Mexico's second run with a single in the bottom of the second. Italy actually tied the game at 2-2 with single runs in the third and sixth innings, but Terrazas put Mexico ahead for good with a two-run homer off Italian reliever Luca Panerati in the bottom of the sixth. Italy came back for one run in the seventh to make it 4-3, but Mexico tucked this one to bed in the eighth when Oscar Robles drove Martinez in with a double, and later scored himself on a passed ball. Robles finished with a perfect night at the plate, collecting three hits and two walks in five plate appearances.

Mexican reliever Arturo Lopez picked up the win and Hector Navarro earned the save, but it was starter Andres Meza who held Italy at bay by allowing one earned run on six hits and one walk on 5.1 innings of work. Panerati suffered the loss for the Italians as a result of Terrazas' homer.

Mexico will next face Canada Tuesday in Torino at 8:00PM local time. The Canadians are 0-2 in Round 2 after an 8-0 loss to the United States on Sunday followed by a 5-3 loss Monday to Austrlaia in ten innings.

JAPAN BOPS MEXICO, 9-3, TO OPEN BWC SECOND ROUND

The Mexican National Team came thudding back to Earth at the Baseball World Cup on Sunday after taking a 9-3 loss at the hands of Japan. Mexico ran the table in Pool A play with three consecutive wins, but allowed six unanswered runs after going into the bottom of the sixth inning with a 3-3 tie in the second round opener for both teams in Parma, Italy.

Japan broke up a scoreless tie with three fourth-inning runs as Go Yamaoka triped in two runs and later came in a Ken Kume single. Mexico came back to tie the game as Cristian Presichi scored on a Carlos Velencia single in the fifth and Saul Soto (pictured) blasted a two-run homer in the top of the sixth to make it 3-3. That was it for the Mexicans, however, as Japanese relievers Hirofumi Yamanaka and Yosuke Okamoto pitched scoreless ball the rest of the way.

Japan went ahead for good with three runs in the bottom of the sixth on five hits and a throwing error by Mexico centerfielder Ivan Terrazas, then tacked on insurance runs in the eighth via a three-run homer by Keiji Okebe off Hugo Castellanos.

Yamanaka took the win for Japan, while reliever Jasiel Acosta absorbed the defeat for Mexico. Presichi and Sergio Contreras each haw two hits for the Grande Verde, but Edgar Quintero was held hitless in four trips to plate after going 5-for-5 against Australia on Saturday.

Mexico will take on host Italy Monday at Bologna in the second of seven games in the second round before facing Canada Wednesday in Torino.

MEXICO FINISHES 3-0 IN POOL A, SECOND ROUND AHEAD

Cristian Presichi drove in Edgar Quintero (pictured) with the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning, and then Hector Navarro held Australia scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to give Mexico a 10-9 win Saturday in the Baseball World Cup in Prague. Quintero hit a one-out double, then was driven in by Presichi’s single.

Mexico ran its run-scoring margin to 22-0 over the first three games by building a 5-0 lead before the Australians scored a run in the third. The Mexicans were cruising along with an 8-2 lead before the Aussies exploded for five sixth-inning runs, and though Mexico posted a run in the top of the eighth, Australia pushed two across against reliever Alan Guerrero to knot the score at 9-9, setting the stage for the fateful ninth inning. Hector Navarro then held the Aussies scoreless to notch the save. Guerrero got the win despite his shaky performance.

Mexico finished with a perfect 3-0 record in Pool A to advance to the second round, beginning with a game against Japan Sunday in Parma, Italy.

MEXICANS CRUSH CZECHS TO CLINCH SECOND ROUND BERTH

Mexico made it two consecutive dominant wins Friday by clobbering the host Czech Republic, 9-0, to go to 2-0 in Pool A play and punching their ticket into the second round of the tournament.

Starter Francisco Cordova (pictured) struck out nine Czech batsmen in six innings for the win, while Jaciel Acosta and Alan Guerrero combined to pitch three hitless innings as Mexican pitchers racked up 15 strikeouts and allowed just three hits and walked two.

Mexico broke open a scoreless tie with four runs in the bottom of the third inning as Sergio Contreras blasted a three-run homer to center field off Czech starter Martin Schneider. The Mexican put three more tallies on the scoreboard in the fifth when Edgar Quintero sent his second homer in as many games off Schneider over the right field wall to make it 7-0. Schneider absorbed the loss for the Czechs by allowing seven runs in five innings. The longball brought in two more runs one inning later when Ivan Terrazas conked a two-run homer to center field to end the scoring for the game.

Mexico will finish pool play Saturday with a game against Australia.

COTA BELTS 3 HOMERS IN WORLD CUP OPENING ROMP

Jesus Cota, who belted home runs for Saltillo in each of the first four games of Saltillo’s Mexican League Championship Series win over Quintana Roo, whacked three longballs in Mexico’s 8-0 whitewashing of Taiwan in the Baseball World Cup’s Pool A opener for both nations Thursday in the Czech Republic.

Mexico scored their first run on a groundout as Carlos Valencia’s bases-loaded fielder’s choice dribbler to short in the second brought Saul Soto in from third to put the Verde Grande up 1-0, but that was no indication of what lay ahead. Cota powered a two-out solo homer to right field in the third to make it 2-0, drilled another roundtripper to right in the sixth to put the score at 3-0, and then bashed a three-run bomb to key a five-run seventh inning outburst to give the Mexicans a 7-0 advantage. Edgar Quintero followed Cota with a rocket shot of his own to center to bring it to 8-0.

Starter Rafael Diaz, a teammate of Cota’s in Saltillo, tossed six scoreless innings for the win, allowing six hits and two walks for Mexico.

MEXICAN NATIONALS TO OPEN WORLD CUP

With the Mexican League Championship Series in the taillights, seven players from the two finalists are among 24 members of Mexico’s National Team now in Europe for the 2009 Baseball World Cup.

Liga champion Saltillo sent catcher Noe Munoz, infielder Jesus Cota, outfielder Cristian Presichi and pitcher Rafael Diaz to the Czech Republic, while the runners-up Quintana Roo Tigres are being represented by infielder Abel Martinez, outfielder Sergio Contreras and pitcher Francisco Cordova. Cota drilled homers in four consecutive games in the finals, while Martinez battled through injury to lead both teams with a .472 batting average.

Other notable players on the Mexican roster are Monterrey outfielder Edgar Quintero, who finished second among Liga batters with a .378 average, Monclova catcher Saul Soto, who was third at. 370 while coming in second in the LMB with 28 homers, co-ERA leaders Francisco Campos of Campeche and Mexico City’s Juan Oramos, who both ended at 2.31, and wins leader Andres Meza of Puebla, who had 15 victories in 2009 for the Pericos. Enrique “Che” Reyes of Veracruz is Mexico’s manager.

Mexico will play Taiwan, the host Czech Republic and Australia in Group A play, beginning with a contest against Taiwan next Thursday in Prague.