LMB DIVISION SEMIS SET, TWO SERIES GO SEVEN GAMES

    The Mexican League division semifinals are now set after a pair of seventh and deciding first round playoff games were required to determine the eighth-team lineup. Mexico City, Tabasco and Yucatan all advanced in the LMB South and will be joined by Veracruz as the “lucky” loser because the Aguilas won two games in their series while Quintana Roo and Puebla only won once. Things came down to the wire in the LMB North, where it took a pair of Game Sevens to ensure that Guadalajara, Tijuana and Lucky Loser Aguascalientes to join Monclova in the division semis.

    Here are capsules with details of the past week's games in the six first-round series:

MEXICO CITY def. QUINTANA ROO, 4 games to 1

    Three first-round series ended Thursday night, including Mexico City's Game Five win over Quintana Roo, 8-4. Japhet Amador led the Diablos attack with two homers and six RBIs to close the set with a 4-games-to-1 Mexico City triumph. The Tigres were forced to play their “home” games at Merida's Parque Kukulkan due to ballpark renovations Estadio Beto Avila in Cancun requiring them to play the final weeks of the season on the road.

    Angel Erro's two-run homer in the bottom of the second snapped a Quintana Roo scoreless streak that had reached 19 innings, including shutouts on Tuesday (a 9-0 loss as Amador belted two longballs and drove in four) and Wednesday (a 3-0 defeat in which Arturo Lopez tossed six scoreless innings for the Red Devils and Juan Carlos Gamboa socked a two-run homer in the third).

TABASCO def. PUEBLA, 4 games to 1

    Tabasco also closed out their series in five games with Puebla on Thursday. After splitting two games in Villahermosa, the Olmecas copped three straight road games, starting with a 14-12 slugfest win last Tuesday as former Phillies farmhand Herlis Rodriguez slammed a three-run homer and Roel Santos posted a two-run blast. Jesus Arredondo hit a two-run single and later scored in a five-run fifth inning as the Olmecas went on to top the Pericos, 8-3, one night later.

    The Olmecas clinched the series Thursday, 7-4, as Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with three runs and Ronnier Mustelier's two-run single gave the Olmecas a 7-0 lead in the fourth that the Parakeets couldn't overcome. Manager Pedro Mere's club lacked offense in the regular season but it was their 29 runs in three games that sealed their victory.

MONCLOVA def. SALTILLO, 4 games to 1

    Also on Thursday, defending champion Monclova finished their LMB North series with a 3-1 Game Five thriller over Saltillo as Addison Russell cranked out a two-run homer off Saraperos closer Anthony Carter in the bottom of the tenth to end the contest after Bartolo Colon turned in 5.1 decent entradas for Monclova, allowing one run on five hits.

    The Steelers earlier collected a 6-3 win over Saltillo Tuesday during which Chris Carter slugged a pair of homers of Saraperos starter David Holmberg. Monclova registered another victory Wednesday on a 3-2 score as Dwight Smith's sacrifice fly brought home Erick Aybar with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. Carlos Bustamante earned the save with a 1-2-3 ninth for the Acereros to set up Thursday's clincher.

YUCATAN def. VERACRUZ, 4 games to 2

    After Friday's travel day, one more series concluded on Saturday. Yucatan returned home after winning two of three in Veracruz to record a 5-1 win over the Aguilas to take their first round set, 4 games to 2, as Jose Aguilar's two-run double gave the Leones a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second that they never relinquished.

    Yucatan had split a pair in Merida prior to winning, 7-6, in Veracruz last Tuesday when Aguilas third baseman Hector Gomez' throwing error in the top of the ninth allowed Walter Ibarra and Yadier Drake to plate the tying and winning runs, respectively. Alex Liddi clubbed two homers and drove in five Wednesday in an 11-3 Yucatan win (Aguila pitchers allowed 11 hits and nine walks); then Liddi, Norberto Obeso and Luis Juarez all homered in the fifth Thursday but Veracuz staved off elimination with a 9-8 triumph as Gomez earned some redemption with a walkoff single that scored Alexei Amarista with the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth. Juarez hit five homers and Liddi went deep four times for the Leones in the series.

GUADALAJARA def. UNION LAGUNA, 4 games to 3

    Both Union Laguna and Tijuana stayed alive with wins Saturday to force Game Sevens in their respective series Sunday. Nick Torres had three hits (including a ninth-inning homer) and scored three runs for the Algodoneros in a wild 13-11 win at Guadalajara. The Cottoneers beat the top-seeded Mariachis twice in three games during the week in Torreon.

    Guadalajara clobbered the hosts, 12-2, last Tuesday as Johnny Davis went 4-for-5 to key a 17-hit Mariachis outburst. Laguna came back with wins on Wednesday and Thursday, starting with a 10-2 clobbering that saw the Algodoneros break open a 4-2 game with six eighth-frame runs as Ciro Norzagaray sliced a two-run, bases-loaded single to cap a two-hit, three-ribbie night. Thursday's game ended with a 5-4 Cottoneers victory with Carlos Rivero's solo homer breaking a 4-all tie and Jenrry Mejia tossing a scoreless ninth for the save (despite needing 20 pitches to do it). Mejia went 1.2 innings Saturday in Guadalajara for his third save of the series. Sunday's game was a 2-2 classic until the bottom of the eighth, when the Mariachis scored five runs, including a three-run homer by Niko Vasquez off Mejia to break it open. Fernando Cruz pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the 7-2 win and end the series.

TIJUANA def. AGUASCALIENTES, 4 games to 3

    Meanwhile, Tijuana held off an upset loss to Aguascalientes Saturday with a 5-4 win in eleven innings at home. Daniel Castro's walkoff single scored pinch-runner Junior Lake with the winning run for the Toros, who got three hits (including a two-run homer) from Leandro Castro during the contest. The Rieleros earlier took two of three midweek games at home and opened a 3-games-to-1 series lead before TJ won the next two. Tuesday's tilt featured a big game from Ags centerfielder Jay Austin (3-for-5 with a double and three RBIs) in a 6-5 win over the Toros. On Wednesday, the Algodoneros built a 5-1 lead and then held on to take a 5-4 triumph behind Marc Flores' two-run homer in the second and Michael Wing's two-run single in the fifth.

    Tijuana avoided elimination with a 5-0 shutout Thursday, with Joe Van Meter starting things off with 6 scoreless innings and Fernando Rodney ending them by striking out the side in the bottom of the ninth. Peter O'Brien doubled, tripled and drove in three for the Bulls in the win to send the series back to the border city. After Saturday's win, the Toros closed out the Rieleros Sunday with a 6-4 victory in which Gabriel Gutierrez' two-out double off Daniel Guerrero broke a 4-4 tie by doubling in Isaac Rodriguez while Gutierrez plated an insurance run moments later on Leandro Castro's single. Rodney made things interesting in the top of the ninth by loading the bases before retiring the last two Aguascalientes batters to end the game and series.

    The division semis will open with four games Tuesday night. In the LMB South, Mexico City will open their best-of-7 set with Lucky Loser Veracruz at home and Yucatan will take on Tabasco in Merida. In the LMB North, Tijuana will open their series with Monclova in the border city while Guadalajara is at Estadio Panamericano to host an opener against Aguascalientes, who is the division's Lucky Loser by virtue of finishing a half-game ahead of Union Laguna during the regular season.

EX-TOROS SKIPPER VIZQUEL NAMED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT SUIT

Omar Vizquel with Birmingham in 2019

    Things just keep getting tougher for Hall of Fame candidate Omar Vizquel. The former shortstop, who won eleven Gold Gloves and collected 2,877 hits over a 24-year MLB career, was hit with a sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States within days of parting company with the Mexican League Tijuana Toros and months after his wife Blanca filed domestic violence charges against him.

    According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, an autistic former batboy for the Class AA Birmingham Barons (who Vizquel managed in 2019) alleged that Vizquel exposed his penis “at least five occasions” in the team's clubhouse. According to the lawsuit, Vizquel came out of a shower naked on August 22, 2019 and handed the man a bar of soap, demanding that he “wash my damn back!” The accuser says he was “humiliated, intimidated and scared of what would happen if he disobeyed” and “complied with Vizquel's request.”

    The man, now 25, did not return to work after the alleged incident and the lawsuit states, “at this point, he was constructively discharged, as no reasonable person would have returned to that work environment after what had happened.” The suit was filed in United States District Court in Alabama. The suit also accuses the Barons and their parent Chicago White Sox organization of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act and seeks back payments and damages. No criminal charges have been filed against Vizquel in connection to the batboy’s claims. Neither Vizquel nor his attorney have commented.

    According to Joshua Rhett Miller of the New York Post, the former batboy (who has not been named) also alleges that Vizquel had “targeted” him for sexual harassment because of his disability. The man also claims Vizquel told him in June 2019 that he was homosexual and telling him in the dugout, “I just want you to know that I’m gay” and “I like guys.”

    In contrast, a writer for the TodayIn24 website who simply goes by the name Bonnie is not a Vizquel supporter but talked to two Birmingham players that season: “More jokes are made in clubhouses than anywhere else. And that’s why, since Vizquel doesn’t answer, I called two players who were from the Barons of 2019, the year of the indictment.

    “One of them told me, 'Omar used to make up jokes of many kinds against all of us and we laughed a lot.' And the other: 'I remember that batboy, great boy. We all loved him very much, even Vizquel. And having his back washed has nothing to do with sex.“

    In a statement, the White Sox said: "After first learning of an alleged incident in late August 2019, Chicago conducted an internal investigation that resulted in the termination of the organization's relationship with Vizquel. Because this is active litigation, at this time the White Sox will not comment further regarding the allegations included in this lawsuit.”

Vizquel as an 11-time Gold Glove shortstop

    The 54-year-old Venezuelan had piloted the Barons to a 64-72 record his first year in Birmingham after leading Class A Winston-Salem to a 84-54 mark and the Carolina League playoff semifinals in 2018, earning Manager of the Year honors. Vizquel was hired to manage Tijuana for 2020 but the season was canceled due to the Wuhan virus. This year, he had the Toros in second place in the LMB North with a 32-22 when he was relieved of his duties on July 26.

    Vizquel was accused last year by his wife, Blanca, of multiple cases of physical abuse. He was arrested once but was not charged. Vizquel has denied abusing his wife, who filed for divorce last year. Major League Baseball has acknowledged investigating his personal and professional conduct, although he has not been employed by an MLB organization since the White Sox fired him. The investigation remains open, according to a source.

    Vizquel became eligible for election to the Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named on 37 percent of the BBWA ballots his first year. He rose to 42.8 percent and then 52.6 percent the following two years before dropping to 49.1 percent last winter a month after the domestic abuse allegations surfaced. He has six years' worth of balloting left before his election is handed over to the Veterans Committee.

BUFFALOES SIGN MEXICAN PITCHER VARGAS TO NPB CONTRACT

Vargas with Ibaraki Astro Planets

    Cesar Vargas' excellent adventure in Japan continues. The pitcher from Puebla, who made seven MLB starts for San Diego in 2017, has reached an agreement with the Pacific League's first-place Orix Buffaloes, according to Nikkei Sports.

    It's been an eventful year for the 29-year-old righty, who missed the 2020 Mexican League season after going 8-6 with a 4.34 ERA over 32 games (including 18 starts) for Monterrey in 2019. Vargas spent an eighth Mexican Pacific League season with Hermosillo last winter and was 3-0 with a 2.86 ERA in seven starts.

    He began the current Liga season with Monterrey in May and went 1-0 and 2.70 in two starts before heading to Japan to pitch for the Ibaraki Astro Planets of the independent Baseball Challenge League. In eleven outings as a teammate of former LMB and LMP outfielder Dariel Alvarez and new Veracruz Aguilas pitcher Kodai Hamaya, Vargas went 5-2 with a 1.60 ERA. Alvarez was also recently picked up by the SoftBank Hawks and batted 0-for-4 in his first game for the defending Japan Series champions.

    The 6'2” 237-pound Vargas also pitched for Mexico in the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, making scoreless appearances in losses to host Japan and Israel and retiring all four batters he faced (two on strikeouts).

Pitching for Monterrey in 2019

   Vargas was signed by the New York Yankees as a 17-year-old in 2009 and spent seven summers in the American League club's system, mostly as a reliever. He then spent 2016 and 2017 with the Padres organization, going 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in seven starts for the parent club. After playing as a Nationals minor leaguer in 2018, Vargas moved back south of the border to play for Monterrey in 2019. During that time, he played eight winters for Hermosillo (including the last six in a row), going 14-9 with a 3.81 ERA for the Naranjeros in 114 appearances, 92 out them out of the bullpen.

    With his initial outing for his new team, Vargas will become the first Mexican-born player to appear in NPB this season after Christian Villanueva played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2020. Heading into the weekend, the Buffaloes (who split their home games between Kobe and Osaka) led the Pacific League with a 43-34 record plus 11 ties, a game-and-a-half ahead of the 42-36-11 Rakuten Golden Eagles.

Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Day Two Report

Hermosillo pitcher Cesar Vargas

Day Two of the 2017 Mexican Baseball Fiesta in Tucson’s Kino Stadium on Friday saw a reasonably close first game in which the defending Mexican Pacific League champion Mexicali Aguilas held off a Cincinnati Reds Arizona Instructional League team, 4-3, as Yuniesky Betancourt singled, doubled and drove in two runs.  The much-anticipated nightcap between Hermosillo and Obregon, two longtime LMP rivals, ended up being an 8-1 Naranjeros romp as starting pitcher Cesar Vargas tossed three innings of one-hit scoreless ball while veterans Jason Bourgeois, Carlos Gastelum and Jose Amador evenly split six hits and scored four runs between them.  Throughout the evening, however, a festive mood prevailed in the ballpark as live bands played on the concourse, mascots took parts in between-innings skits and fans from Arizona and Mexico got to enjoy an evening of baseball, Mexican-style.

In the opener, Cincinnati opened the scoring in the top of the second inning when Morgan Lofstrom redirected a Javier Solano offering off and over the top of the wall in right-center for a leadoff homer.  Solano then bore down and struck out the next three Reds batters.  Mexicali came back in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs.  C.J. Retherford led off with a single and came around to score on Ricky Alvarez' double against the center field wall to tie the game.  After Josh Romanosky struck out, Ramon Rios punched a single to left to bring Alvarez in with the go-ahead run.

The defending MexPac champion Aguilas added to their advantage in the bottom of the third with two more runs.  With one out, Yordanys Linares and Walter Ibarra hit back-to-back soft singles, bringing up Yuniesky Betancourt.  After Linares and Ibarra successfully pulled off a double steal, Betancourt smoked a Luis Alecis pitch down the third-base line into left field, scoring both baserunners and bringing about Alecis' exit.  Reds reliever Tanner Rainey struck out both Retherford and Alvarez to end the inning, but Mexicali had themselves a 4-1 lead after three.

Cincinnati got two runs back in the top of the fourth, both after the first two batsmen were retired by Solano. Lofstrom rapped a single to right and then scored when Mark Kolozsvary doubled into the gap in right-center. Leandro Santana then singled up the middle to bring in Kolozsvary, but was gunned down trying to take second on Linares' throw to the plate after catcher Francisco Cordoba's subsequent throw barely beat Santana to the bag on a close call.  That ended both the inning and the night for Solano, who finished his four entradas of work after allowing three runs on four hits with six strikeouts.

From that point on, it was up to Mexicali’s bullpen to hold the Reds scoreless over the last three frames of the seven-inning contest.  After Marco Quevedo retired the side in order in the fifth, newcomer Nolan Becker, who led the independent Can-Am League with 24 saves for champion Quebec this summer, ran into some trouble in the top of the sixth by walking the first two Cincy batsmen he faced (Jeter Downs and Taylor Trammell) before getting the next two hitters out, although Montrell Marshall sacrificed both runners to third and second, respectively.  Aguilas manager Roberto Vizcarra then brought in another fresh face, Victor Capellan, to strike out Kolozsvary and end the inning.

Capellan, who went 4-4 with a 1.25 ERA for Winnipeg in the indy American Association, went on to post a 1-2-3 seventh for the save as the Aguilas mound staff combined to hold the Reds to three hits on the night.  Solano earned the win for Mexicali while Alecis took the loss for Cincinnati after giving up four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings. Betancourt had two of Mexicali's seven hits with two RBIs while Linares and Rios both reached base twice.  Lofstrom singled, homered and scored two runs for the Reds.

In the second game, Hermosillo and Obregon swapped zeros through the first two innings before the Naranjeros put three runs on the board in the top of the third.  Carlos Gastelum led off with a single, then came around from first base on a Domonic Brown double. Obregon manager Miguel Ojeda took out starting pitcher Irwin Delgado and brought in Martin Sotelo to pitch to veteran slugger Luis Alfonso Garcia.  The move paid immediate dividends as Sotelo got Garcia looking for a strikeout.  Things looked even brighter after Brown was caught stealing third while Jose Amador was batting on a terrific throw by Yaquis catcher Jose Felix for the second out of the inning, and it didn't seem to matter much at the time when Amador singled.  Ojeda then brought in Adrian Ramirez to pitch to Fernando Perez, who promptly doubled and moved Amador to third.  Jose Cardona came up and rapped a single that scored both Amador and Perez to give the Naranjeros a 3-0 lead before Ramirez got Arturo Rodriguez to fly out to right to end the inning.

The Naranjeros broke the game wide open with three more runs in the top of the fourth.  After Jorge Flores popped out to the catcher to open the inning, the next five Hermosillo batters either singled or walked, with Roberto Ramos' bases-loaded walk pushing Jason Bourgeois across with one counter and a sharp Amador single bringing in both Gastelum and Brown to make it a 6-0 Hermosillo lead over their bitter rivals (a Naranjeros-Yaquis matchup is the MexPac's version of the Yankees and Red Sox in terms of intensity).

The Yaquis finally broke their scoreless spell after Hermosillo starter Cesar Vargas was taken out after three innings.  Reliever Sergio Alvarado struggled in the fourth, starting with Carlos Valencia’s leadoff double into the left field corner.  Valencia advance to third on an infield single by Paul Leon and scored on Jonathan Aranda's flyout to left, breaking up Hermosillo's shutout bid.  Jose Felix added a single to put Leon in scoring position but Felix Pie's groundout to second ended the threat.

Not that it really mattered, as Hermosillo plated two more runs in the top of the fifth when Flores singled in pinch-runner Ciro Norzagaray and Flores scored on Irving Lopez' groundout to second, bringing the rout to its final 8-1 count as neither team scored the rest of the way..

Bourgeois, Gastelum and Amador each had two singles, combined to score four runs and drive in four more for the victorious Naranjeros, who outhit Obregon, 11-6.  Nobody had more than one safety for the Yaquis, with Valencia and Irving Falu contributing doubles on a night that clearly belonged to Hermosillo.  Vargas' three innings of work earned him the win, but it almost seems unfair that the loss should be hung on Delgado, whose two-plus innings (in which he gave up one run on three hits and as many walks) was probably the Yaquis’ pitching highlight, which sort of says it all right there.

Saturday's Day Three schedule at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta will begin with a 5:30PM PDT contest between Mexicali and Los Mochis, with the Caneros making their 2017 Tucson debut by taking CIncinnati’s place in the foursome.  That game will be followed by an Hermosillo-Obregon rematch.

Mexican League to open 2016 season Friday

The Mexican League will pop the cork for its 92nd season this Friday with games in Cancun and Tijuana.  Six more openers are slated for Saturday and Sunday's schedule has all 16 LMB teams in action.

The Quintana Roo Tigres will host the Yucatan Leones Friday at 9,500-seat Estadio Beto Avila in Cancun, one of two Liga ballparks named after the former Cleveland Indians star (the other is in Veracruz, Avila's hometown).  The Tigres, who moved to the resort city in 2007 after decades in Mexico City and six years in Puebla, won the team's third flag since 2011 last summer for the franchise's 12th title overall.

In Friday's other Liga opener, the Reynosa Broncos will be in Tijuana to take on manager Luis Sojo's Toros at Estadio Gasmart, a 41-year-old ballpark seating 16,811 after renovations in the mid-2000's.  Although there has been good interest in baseball for decades in Tijuana, the sport has had a tough go of it over the years for various reasons.  The Toros entered the LMB in 2014, taking the place of the Minatitlan Petroleros.  They've drawn well the past two seasons with 837,842 fans clicking the turnstiles for an average of 7,830 per opening.

The LMB's twelve other teams will take the field for Saturday's opening games: Ciudad Carmen is at Campeche, Oaxaca welcomes Puebla, Laguna hosts Aguascalientes in Torreon, Veracruz visits Tabasco, Saltillo travels to Monclova and Mexico City is at home against Monterrey.  Venues for all first-day matches will be reversed Sunday to complete each home-and-away series.  As usual, Monday will be a travel day before returning to the traditional three-game series format on Tuesday, April 5.

The Mexican League regular season used to run from March through July, with playoffs taking up the month of August.  This year, the LMB's 16 teams will play 113-game schedules from April 1 through August 12 with the postseason carrying into mid-September, if needed.  LMB standings are determined by won-lost percentage, with the top four teams in each division advancing to the first round of playoffs, followed by division championship sets and the league championship between each division titlist.  All playoff series are best-of-7 affairs.  All-Star Weekend will be June 3-5 in Monterrey.

As mentioned, Quintana Roo won the 2015 LMB pennant, beating Monclova in five games to capture the Serie del Rey.  Yucatan's Jesus Valdez (.365) nosed out Jesse Castillo of Aguascalientes (.363) for the batting crown. Valdez also won the Mexican Pacific League hitting title over the winter, batting .347 for Jalisco.  Mexico City's Japhet Amador ran away with both the Liga's home run (41) and RBI (117) race along with his .347 average to earn MVP honors (doing likewise with Jalisco in the LMP last winter before signing with Japan's Rakuten Golden Eagles for 2016).  Cuidad Carmen's Gilberto Mejia stole 43 bases to lead in that category.

Among LMB pitchers in 2015, Mexico City's Marco Duarte and Josh Lowey of Monclova each won 13 games to edge ageless Tigres hurler Pablo Ortega (12) for the victory title.  Tabasco's Cesar Vargas, who pitched for the Padres against Houston last weekend in Mexico City, led the LMB with two shutouts and 161 strikeouts.  Saltillo's Edgmer Escalona's 2.54 ERA was best in the Liga in 2015.  Former Royals starting shortstop Tony Pena, son of the eponymous former All-Star catcher and American League manager of the year, has converted into a closer, and the 34-year-old saved 25 games for Laguna to top the circuit. Yucatan's 18-year-old middleman Manuel Rodriguez was named Rookie of the Year after he went 4-0 with a 1.84 ERA in 50 appearances out of the bullpen.