SUMMER 2011 BBM AWARDS Newcomer of the Year: Doug Clark, Quintana Roo Tigres

Having spent more than one winter in the Mexican Pacific League, the 35-year-old native of Springfield, Massachusetts is no stranger to baseball south of the border. However, 2011 was Doug Clark’s first season in the Mexican League after spending the previous three summers playing in Korea, and he made the most of it for the Quintana Roo Tigres.

A former MLBer with the San Francisco Giants in 2005 and Oakland Athletics in 2006, Clark had a strong first year in Cancun by batting .315 in 97 games for the Tigres and turning in one of just two 20/20 seasons in the Liga with 21 homers and 20 stolen bases. He played in the All-Star Game after batting .346 with 13 homers before the break, although he tailed off a bit in the second half of the season after playing continuously since the spring of 2010. While Clark’s 67 runs scored and 58 RBIs weren’t head-turning numbers, he had a knack for getting a hit when it counted late in games. Then came the playoffs.

Over 16 games, Clark’s .259 average was somewhat negligible, but his productivity wasn’t. His 14 runs and 14 ribbies were both among the postseason Liga leaders, his 4 homers tied Willie Romero and Albino Contreras for the Tigres team lead, his 4 stolen bases was tops among all players in the playoffs, and he went 6-for-12 in the Mexican Series against Mexico City as the Tigres swept the Diablos for their tenth LMB pennant. Not bad for a guy who didn’t play varsity baseball in high school before walking on at the University of Massachusetts, where he was on scholarship as a football wide receiver.

TIGRES TORCH DIABLOS, 8-2, IN LIGA CHAMPIONSHIP OPENER

Five players collected two hits apiece while Mexico City starter Roberto Ramirez was chased after less than two innings as the Quintana Roo Tigres walloped the Diablos Rojos, 8-2, Sunday in the opening game of the Mexican League championship series in Cancun.

Iker Franco singled and homered while Willie Romero and Doug Clark (pictured) both singled and doubled as the Tigres scored five runs in the first inning and another two in the second to take a 7-1 lead they never came close to relinquishing. Ramirez was manhandled for all seven runs on eight hits and a walk in 1.1 innings, although to be fair, only two of those runs were earned. Nerio Rodriguez, normally a starter since signing with Mexico City last month, came on in relief of Ramirez and let in no runs through the fifth, but the damage was already done. Francisco Cordoba earned the win for Quintana Roo.

The scheduled title set opener was washed out Sunday. The two teams will meet again tonight in Cancun as Marco Quevedo starts for Mexico City against Pablo Ortega of the Tigres.

CLARK HOMERS IN TWO GAMES AS TIGRES TAKE 2-0 LEAD OVER GUERREROS

Veteran outfielder Doug Clark homered in two games while pitchers Pablo Ortega and Jose Ramirez were sharp as the Quintana Roo Tigres took wins in both contests at home in Cancun.

Clark socked a three-run homer and Carlos Gastelum belted a solo shot Saturday in Quintana Roo’s 8-3 triumph over Oaxaca as Ortega scattered four hits and one run in six innings for the win. Clark and Albino Contreras rapped homers off Guerreros starter Sergio Valenzuela in Sunday’s 4-2 Tigres win behind the 5’7” Ramirez.

Puebla and Mexico City split two games at Foro Sol. The Pericos clobbered the Diablos, 16-9, Saturday as Luis Suarez had four hits for Puebla and Mexico City starter Roberto Ramirez gave up nine runs in 2.2 innings. The Red Devils took a 9-2 win Sunday with Luis Terrero’s two-run homer highlighted a four-run Diablos second inning.

Sandy Madera’s three-run homer in the seventh was a key blow in Monterrey’s 6-2 win in Reynosa Saturday night as Broncos starter Marco Tovar was touched for six runs in seven innings, while Chris Roberson and Sergio Perez each had four hits in the Sultanes’ 9-2 victory Sunday as Francisley Bueno tossed seven frames of one-run ball for Monterrey’s second win.

While the other three series all got their first two games in, the Veracruz-Campeche first round was washed out both nights in Campeche. They’ll try to get a game in Monday night while everyone else is taking the day off to travel to the lower seed cities.

Mexican League results for Wednesday, Apr. 20, 2011

QUINTANA ROO 5-7-0, Oaxaca 1-5-0
W-Llamas (3-0). L-Moreno (3-1).
Doug Clark (pictured) homers twice for second time in less than a week, finishes 3-for-4 with four RBIs for Tigres.

REYNOSA 11-12-0, Monterrey 2-11-0
W-Leon (1-0). L-Salas (1-2).
Broncos scored eight 7th inning runs including a Marshall McDougall grand slam as six pitchers scattered 11 hits.

Saltillo 12-12-0, MINATITLAN 5-9-1
W-Mendoza (2-1). L-Rodriguez (0-1).
Saraperos scored six runs in the 7th and four more in the 8th as Christian Presichi homered and drove in four.

CAMPECHE 3-12-1, Laguna 2-5-1
W-Castillo (1-1). L-Yan (2-3).
Piratas’ Rogelio Del Campo doubles, pinch-runner Dabiel Flores scores game-winner on Roberto Valencia single in 9th.

VERACRUZ 4-7-1, Mexico City 2-9-0
W-Peguero (2-0). L-Castaneda (1-2).
Francisco Mendez and Manuel Bobadillo belt consecutive homers off Federico Castaneda in 7th to lift Aguilas to win.

TABASCO 9-13-0, Monclova 4-9-0
W-Garcia (1-1). L-Rodriguez (3-2).
Jesus Castillo collects three hits and three Olmecas teammates get two apiece as Tabasco scores nine runs in 1st.

YUCATAN 1-6-0, Puebla 0-2-2

W-Castro (2-2). L-Espinoza (1-5).
Leones starter Linder Castro holds Puebla to two hits in 8 innings, Jose Vargas perfect in 9th for 8th save.

YAQUIS PLACE RUGGIANO, SELLERS ON DL; CLARK ALSO AILING

Outfielder Justin Ruggiano (pictured) has been placed on the disabled list by the Obregon Yaquis. The 28-year-old Ruggiano, who hit .287 with 15 homers and 24 stolen bases with Durham of the Class AAA International League last summer, was batting .278 for the Yaquis before going on the DL last week for an undisclosed reason. Braves minor league first baseman Barbaro Canizares has been brought in as a replacement. Canizares hit .341 for AAA Gwinnett in 2010.

The Yaquis also put shortstop Justin Sellers on the DL due to right shoulder ailments. Sellers, who hit .285 with 14 homers in 85 games for the Dodgers’ AAA affiliate in Albuquerque this year, was just 2-for-13 for Obregon in four games before being shelved. Sellers was replaced on the Yaquis roster by pitcher Luis Mendoza, who went 10-9 for the Royals’ AAA Omaha affiliate and pitched four times for Kansas City.

Another ailing extranero, outfielder Doug Clark, has taken the past week off for what the Yaquis’ team website called “health causes.” Clark, who has played the last three years in Korea, was batting .316 in five games before sitting down October 18.