TOROS WIN SERIE DEL REY GAME 7, LMB PENNANT

     The Tijuana Toros completed their improbable comeback in the Mexican League championship series by winning the last two games of the best-of-seven set, including a 3-0 Game Seven victory last Wednesday night as the Toros became only the second team in the Liga's 95-year history to overcome a 3-game-to-0 deficit and win the LMB finals with four consecutive triumph (the Jalisco Charros were the first in 1971).

    The following is a wrap of the final two games of the 2021 Mexican League season:

GAME 6 (Tuesday, September 14): TIJUANA 10, Yucatan 3

Toros CF Junior Lake's game-saving catch

    The Toros continued their comeback effort last Tuesday night with a 10-3 trouncing of Yucatan in Game Six at home. Efren Navarro was the man of the match after driving in six runs on four hits (including a three-run double) between the fourth and seventh innings as 16,998 aficionados at Estadio Nacional watched the action.

    The Leones took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when Yadier Drake doubled to right scored Norberto Obeso and then scored on a Luis Juarez single. A Navarro single to right in the bottom of the fourth plated Daniel Castro and Junior Lake to tie the game but it was Luis Alfonso Cruz' three-run, line-drive homer to left that capped the Toros' five-run outburst and put TJ ahead for good. Jorge Flores came in on a Drake sacrifice fly to bring Yucatan with 5-3 in the top of the fifth, but Navarro's bases-loaded double brought the Bulls' lead up to 8-3 and run-scoring hits from Castro (a double) and Navarro in the seventh ended the scoring for the night.

    6'7” reliever Michael Tonkin was awarded the win for Tijuana with a perfect 1.2 innings out of the bullpen while Leones starter Yoanner Negrin suffered the loss after being tagged for eight runs in 4.1 frames. Both Castros (Daniel and Leandro) had three hits each for the Toros while Obeso and Flores had two hits apiece for the visitors from Merida.

GAME 7 (Wednesday, September 15): TIJUANA 3, Yucatan 0

Tijuana P Teddy Stankiewicz

    Peter O'Brien broke a scoreless tie by socking an opposite-field solo homer to right off Yucatan starter Jake Thompson in the bottom of the third inning, and that turned out to be enough for Tijuana pitcher Teddy Stankiewicz and three relievers to combine on a three-hitter during the Toros' 3-0 shutout over the Leones, completing the border city's unlikely comeback in front of 17,687 at Estadio Nacional.

    Tijuana added insurance runs in the fifth inning (on Leandro Castro's RBI single) and seventh frame (when Isaac Rodriguez drew a walk and came all the way to score on a throwing error by Yucatan third baseman Alex Liddi), but the story of the game was the Toros' pitching. Stankiewicz retired the first nine batters he faced and went on to scatter three hits over six innings with a half-dozen strikeouts to earn the win. Former MLB All-Star Fernando Rodney closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning during which he threw 10 strikes on 13 pitches, the last one getting Art Charles swinging for the save and the final out of the season.

    Junior Lake led the champions with three hits while Gabriel Gutierrez added a pair of singles but the big blow belonged to O'Brien as the Toros outhit the visitors by a 10-to-3 margin (as Yucatan got one-baggers from Norberto Obeso, Luis Juarez and Juan Jose Aguilar). Thompson absorbed the loss for the Leones after allowing two runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. Tijuana first baseman Efren Navarro was announced as the Serie del Rey MVP due to his .308 batting average over the seven games, including four hits and six RBIs in Game Six.

MAZATLAN TO HOST MEXICAN LEAGUE TEAM IN 2022?

Yucatan owners Erick and Juan Jose Arellano

   As columnist David Braverman noted in a recent Out 27 column in Puro Beisbol, the Mayor of Mazatlán, Luis Guillermo Benítez Torres, confirmed that a group of businessmen are in very advanced talks to finalize a franchise of the Mexican Baseball League in the port city.

    Braverman announced that the brothers Jose Juan and Erick Arellano brothers (owners of the Yucatán Leones), have been negotiating to purchase and move the Aguascalientes Rieleros to Mazatlán, their hometown. Benítez denied the Arellanos' involvement, claiming that there are other businessmen involved.

    Sources assured Puro Beisbol that the other club with a possible move to the port are the Durango Generales, who were recently purchased by Venezuelan Carlos Lazo, an entrepreneur who's lived in Guadalajara for 15 years. Juan Carlos Martinez, who sold the team to Lazo after owning it less than two years, told Durango's El Siglio newspaper that Lazo would not move the team out of town. 

    However, the Generales have struggled on the field and in the box office since 2017, their first season in the western Mexico city after being moved there from the Gulf of Mexico resort city of Carmen, and it would not be out of the question for Lazo to cast an eye upon Mazatlan (a smaller city than Durango but with a nicer ballpark and great support for the Mexican Pacific League's Venados).

    Mazatlan mayor Benitez has reportedly held talks with Mexican League president Horacio de la Vega as well as the Arellano brothers and sounded like a man who expects summer baseball to be played at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal once arrangements are finalized. "The issue of the stadium is being legally addressed," Benítez was quoted as saying in Puro Beisbol.

    "Many levels of government have intervened because summer baseball is coming. Summer baseball is not going to be handled by the company that has winter baseball (Jose Antonio Toledo and family)...others are going to handle it," he added, without specifying who.

    If the move is made, Mazatlán would be the third city in the country with professional baseball all year with LMP and LMB teams, along with with Guadalajara and Monterrey.

    The Arellano brothers have sought to bring baseball to Mazatlán after joining the LMB acquiring the Lions in 2013, when the idea for the Marineros emerged.

 "Many levels of government have intervened because summer baseball is coming. Summer baseball is not going to be handled by the company that has winter baseball (Jose Antonio Toledo and family)...others are going to handle it," he added, without specifying who. If the move is made, Mazatlán would be the third city in the country with professional baseball all year with LMP and LMB teams, along with with Guadalajara and Monterrey.

Year-round baseball coming to Mazatlan?

    The Arellano brothers have sought to bring baseball to Mazatlán since joining the LMB in 2013 when they acquired the Lions, and then the idea for the Mariners emerged. However, when questioned about their potential ownership of a Mazatlan Mexican League franchise, Benitez replied, "This group is not going to handle summer baseball at all. They are with the Yucatán Leones.”

    The Arellano brothers bought the financially-ailing Laguna Vaqueros a few years after purchasing the team in Merida, with the idea of moving the Vaqueros to Mazatlan and renaming them the Marineros (a moniker they would reportedly use if the Rieleros are bought and relocated to the Pacific coast). However, after owning the Torreon team for a year and experiencing questions about their finances, the Arellanos sold the Vaqueros to local interests, who renamed the club the Union Laguna Algodoneros.

    Some assume that the Toledo family will continue to controls concessions at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal, but the mayor clarified that the park belongs to the Mazatlán City Council. "They are already working on that. As soon as they specify it they will make it known. There will be no problem with the stadium, since the property does not belong to any businessman, it belongs to the City Council."

    The Toledos have been embroiled with the City of Mazatlan in a myriad of issues almost since the ballpark reopened in 2018 after extensive renovations were completed. At one point early last year, the Venados were physically removed from their on-site offices after claims that they did not live up to a signed agreement allowing them to operate the facility. Although the dispute was put on hold long enough for the Venados to play home games and host the Caribbean Series last winter, nothing has actually been resolved between the two warring sides.

MAESTROS OF MEXICO: Hector Espino

    During BBM's Viva Beisbol days between 2005-07, we ran a series of profiles on top players with ties to Mexican baseball titled Maestros of Mexico. The Maestros will be resurrected for the rest of 2021 as space permits but unlike the original series (which included players who were born outside or never played inside Mexico), this installment will feature only Mexican-born players who spent time in the Mexican or Mexican Pacific Leagues. We'll lead off with the legendary “Superman of Chihuahua,” Hector Espino:

    The consensus pick among fans as the greatest player in Mexican baseball history, Hector Espino was known as "The Babe Ruth of Mexico" during his 24-year career. Playing in the Mexican League primarily for Monterrey or Tampico between 1962 and 1984, the right-handed Espino retired as minor league baseball's all-time home run king with 484 (453 in the LMB). He led the LMB in homers four times, including a career-high 46 for the Sultanes in 1964. The 5'10" 192-pounder from Chihuahua also drove in 1,573 runs in his LMB career and hung up his spikes with a cool .335 batting mark. He hit better than .300 every year but one in the Liga between 1962 through 1980, winning three straight batting titles between 1966 and 1968 and four overall.

    As a 20-year-old outfielder, Espino broke into pro ball in 1960 with San Luis Potosi in the Class A Mexican Center League and pounded pitchers for a .363 batting average with 20 homers and 60 RBI’s in 63 games that year. After an abbreviated season with SLP in 1961, he broke into the Mexican League with Monterrey in 1962. Espino blasted his way to a .358 average with 23 homers and led the Liga with 106 runs and 105 RBI’s. Although he missed a chunk of the following season, playing just 99 games, he still belted 24 homers and drove in 80 runs en route to a .346 average for the Sultanes in 1963.

    He shifted from the outfield to first base in 1964 for what proved to be his greatest season, just missing the LMB Triple Crown with a Liga-best .371 average, a career high 46 homers (also tops in Mexico) and 117 RBI’s, drawing interest from major league teams. St. Louis finally won the bidding war for his contract from Monterrey.

    Espino played briefly for the Cardinals' AAA farm team in Jacksonville at the end of the 1964 season. He hit well (batting .300 with three homers in 32 games), but his time in the International League was not pleasant. Playing during the Civil Rights era with home games in Florida and road trips to such Southern cities as Richmond and Atlanta, the proud Espino was reportedly so offended by the racism he encountered while playing in the IL that he went home to Mexico during season and never returned to play in the United States again despite several offers over the years.

    His return to Mexico in 1965 was abbreviated (.335/17/48 in 67 games), but he reeled off the first of four consecutive standout seasons in Monterrey in 1966, winning one of three straight batting crowns (.369) and clubbing 31 homers. He then led the Liga with a career-best .379 (including 34 homers) in 1967, then hit .365 and led the LMB with 27 roundtrippers for 1968. Espino fell to .304 in 1969 but led the Liga again with 37 homers. After a subpar (for him) 1970, he was dealt to the Tampico Alijadores in 1971.

    Over eight seasons in Tampico (with short stops at Mexico City and Tabasco in 1975), Espino batted .335 with 159 homers and 600 RBIs. Starting in 1979, he embarked on a an odyssey, playing for six different teams in three seasons before returning to Monterrey as a part-timer in 1982. After hitting .220 with one homer in 20 games in 1984, the 45-year-old Espino retired in July of that season.

    Espino's record in winter ball was also impressive. In 24 Mexican Pacific League seasons (all with Hermosillo), he won an amazing 13 batting titles and six home run crowns en route to a career average of .329 with 299 homers and 1,029 RBIs while leading the Naranjeros to Mexico's first Caribbean Series win in 1976 and playing in six tournaments overall. A six-time LMP MVP, Hermosillo's ballpark was renamed after him while he was still an active player. Espino was inducted as a member of the Salon de Fama in 1988 and is also enshrined in the Caribbean Baseball Hall of Fame. In all, he blasted a combined 4,576 hits with 752 homers with 2,602 playing year-round in both the Liga and Mex Pac.

    Hector Espino (who passed away at 58 in 1997) was beloved by fans across Mexico because he combined his great skills in baseball with a pride and loyalty to his country to become the face of Mexican baseball for two decades. He was a true national hero and his number 21 has been retired by all Mexican professional teams.

TOROS AVOID SWEEP, SERIE DEL REY GOES BACK TO TJ

    After losing the first three games of the 2021 Serie del Rey, things were looking grim late last week for the Tijuana Toros, who had to beat the Yucatan Leones twice in Merida to stay alive and send the series back home to Estadio Nacional, let alone avoid an embarrassing sweep.

    As things turned out, that's exactly what happened and now both teams will be flying to Baja California Norte for Game Six of the Mexican League's championship series on Tuesday night. The following is a wrap of each of the first five games of the series:

GAME 1 (Monday, September 6): Yucatan 7, TIJUANA 3

Yucatan OF Yadir Drake

    The Leones drew first blood by scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning to blow open a 3-2 game en route to a four-run win over the Toros in front of 14,297 fans at Tijuana's Estadio Nacional. Sebastian Valle's three-run homer off TJ reliever Brennan Bernardino with two out was the key blow. At that point, Jesus Pirela relieved Bernardino and recorded the third out but the damage was done and the Liones never looked back.

    Valle combined with Walter Ibarra and Humberto Sosa for six hits and six RBIs to lead Yucatan while starter Rhadames Liz allowed two runs on five hits over five innings for the win. Although Bernardino suffered a nightmarish seventh, the loss went to Toros starter Michael Devine, who was charged for three runs on four hits and four walks after exiting with two out in the fifth.

GAME 2 (Tuesday, September 7): Yucatan 7, TIJUANA 1

    The Leones made it 2-for-TJ with another big inning to break a close game open. The Toros took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Junior Lake scored on Gabriel Gutierrez' groundout to second. Tijuana starter Carlos Hernandez tossed four shutout innings before Humberto Sosa, Sebastian Valle and Jose Juan Aguilar led off the fifth with consecutive singles to load the bases. Hernandez walked Jorge Flores on a 3-and-2 count to push Sosa across with the tying run. With two outs, Yadir Drake stepped up and crushed a grand slam to straightaway center, giving the visitors a 5-1 advantage they'd never relinquish.

    After giving up that one first-inning run, Yucatan starter Yoanner Negrin didn't allow another score through seven frames to earn the win. Sosa, Aguilar and Alex Liddi each had two of the Leones' ten hits, but it was Drake's homer that made all the difference in sending 14,989 onlookers at Estadio Nacional home disappointed.

GAME 3 (Thursday, September 9): YUCATAN 2, Tijuana 0

    After going 1-for-7 over the first two games, Luis Juarez broke his relative silence with a two-run homer (his tenth of the postseason) in the first inning and that was all Yucatan starter Jake Thompson and four relievers would need in posting a combined 2-0 shutout as 6,420 aficionados watched in Merida's “sold out” Parque Kukulkan, which was limited to 40 percent capacity due to the pandemic. Yadir Drake had drawn a two-out walk before Juarez stepped up and slammed Joe Van Meter's first pitch over the left field wall.

    Thompson, who had to wait through a pregame rain delay lasting over two hours, scattered five hits over five innings for the win and Josh Lueke earned the save for Yucatan with a 1-2-3 ninth. Van Meter settled down to pitch scoreless ball until two outs in the fifth inning, but that one pitch to Juarez proved to be his undoing. Tijuana's Gabriel Gutierrez was the lone batter with more than one hit, collecting two singles off Thompson.

GAME 4 (Saturday, September 11): Tijuana 6, YUCATAN 2

Tijuana 1B Efren Navarro

    After Thursday's rain delay held up Game 3, Friday's Game 4 was postponed until Saturday by more rain. Yadier Drake singled in one run and scored another on Alex Liddi's sacrifice fly to give Yucatan a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. The Toros stretched their scoreless streak to 19 innings before Isaac Rodriguez tallied on Junior Lake's sacrifice fly in the top of the third. Tijuana would then score at least one more run in the third, fourth and fifth innings as Efren Navarro belted a two-run homer in the fourth and Gabriel Gutierrez singled in two more in the fifth, putting the game out of reach.

    Teddy Stankiewicz replaced Michael Devine in the third with the Toros trailing 2-1, then pitched 3.1 innings of one-hit ball and was the beneficiary of TJ's mid-game offensive awakening, earning the win. Leones starter Casey Harman dished up Navarro's homer and was tagged for the loss as the visitors outhit Yucatan by a 14-to-5 margin as another “sellout” crowd of 6,420 watched the contest.

GAME 5 (Sunday, September 12): Tijuana 4, YUCATAN 3

    Junior Lake singled and Leandro Castro lofted a homer off Yucatan starter Rhadames Liz over the left field wall to give Tijuana a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. The Toros scored again in the top of the second when Luis Alfonso Cruz launched Liz' first pitch of the frame for a homer to left. A Cruz throwing error from third base in the bottom of the second allowed Jose Juan Aguilar to score from first with the Leones' first run. The teams traded zeros into the bottom of the fifth, when Yadir Drake sliced a two-out, opposite-field double and later motored home from second on an Alex Liddi single up the middle to narrow the Bulls' lead to 3-2.

    That's where the score stayed until the bottom of the ninth, when Fernando Rodney gave up a double to Alex Liddi that scored Yadir Drake from second and ultimately sent the game into extra innings. The game remained tied until Xavier Carrillo's bloop single in the top of the eleventh plated Gabriel Gutierrez, giving the Toros a 4-3 lead. The Leones had runners at first and second with one out in the bottom of the eleventh, but Junior Lake made a diving catch of Luis Juarez' sinking liner to center for one out, then threw to second to double up Walter Ibarra for the last out of the game, which drew another 6,420 onlookers.

    Rodney tossed the final three innings on 47 pitches to earn the win while Yucatan reliever Manuel Chavez, who gave up Carrillo's RBI single was tagged with the loss.

MANNY BARREDA CALLED UP BY ORIOLES FOR MLB DEBUT

RHP Manny Barreda finally reaches MLB

    There's an old adage that life is about the journey than the destination, but pitcher Manny Barreda may be forgiven if he thinks, “Forget that noise...give me the destination!”

    After 15 years of pitching for four Major League Baseball organizations, the 5'11” righthander finally made his big league debut last Wednesday (one month shy of his 33rd birthday) when Barreda entered a game for Baltimore in the eighth inning trailing Kansas City, 5-0, at Camden Yards. Barreda not only retired the Royals in order (striking out the Royals' Michael Taylor looking to end the top of the eighth), he was awarded the win after the Orioles scored NINE runs in the bottom of the eighth and held on to beat Kansas City, 9-8, as a gathering of 4,965 watched the hapless O's bring their record up to an MLB-worst 45-93.

    Not that Barreda minded the sparse attendance nor the lost season his new team was in when he first joined them after his September 7 call-up. For the native of Sahuarita, Arizona, it was the culmination of a long apprenticeship that began in 2007 when he was taken by the Yankees in the 12th round of that year's draft.

    After going 5-0 with a 3.00 ERA in eleven outings (including three starts) for the Yanks' Gulf Coast League team, Barreda spent eight summers in their system before being released in 2014, after which he signed with Milwaukee. He spent two years in the Brewers' minors before signing with Tijuana of the Mexican League in late 2015 as a middle reliever, a role he'd held his entire career except for six starts with Class A Charleston in 2011. Barreda continued as a middleman for the Toros in 2016, going 2-1 with a .350 ERA in 25 outings that summer.

Barreda threw no-hitter for Los Mochis

    Then a funny thing happened in Los Mochis, where he spent the 2016-17 Mexican Pacific League winterball season: The Caneros made Barreda a starter and he was 4-3, leading the LMP with a 2.20 ERA and finishing third with 66 strikeouts. He threw a no-hitter against Hermosillo that season, requiring 138 pitches to subdue the Naranjeros, 2-0. Weeks later, Barreda signed a free agent contract with Atlanta.

    The Braves shipped him back to Tijuana for the 2017 season, and he rewarded the Toros with his second no-hitter in eight months, beating Tabasco, 4-0, that July on 145 pitches. He was eventually brought up to Atlanta's AAA Gwinnett affiliate and rewarded them by turning in a 3-1 record and 1.83 ERA in seven starts, earning the International League's Pitcher of the Week award on September 4. Even with those credentials, Barreda not only didn't get called up to the big leagues, he was sent back to Tijuana for 2018 and 2019.

    After missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic, Barreda had a strong LMP season for pennant-winning Culiacan and earned the Tomateros' lone win at the Caribbean Series in Mazatlan, after which he was signed by Baltimore. The Sahaurita, Arizona native pitched one inning in relief at AA Bowie and was promoted to AAA Norfolk in June, where he was 1-2 with two saves and a 4.19 ERA before last week's call to Baltimore.

    Although he's been rocked a bit in subsequent relief appearances for the Orioles against Kansas City and Toronto (his ERA as of Saturday night was 13.50 and he'd given up homers to the Royals' Hunter Dozier and Teoscar Hernandez of the Blue Jays), Manny Barreda has to be ecstatic to finally be getting his first chance to pitch at the major league level after years of waiting. It's been a long, long journey he hopes is finally over.

FIFTY YEARS SINCE LONE TEAM WON LMB FINALS AFTER 0-3 START

    The Tijuana Toros got off to a rocky start in the this season's Serie del Rey, losing the first three games to Yucatan in an attempt to win the border city's second Mexican League pennant. They aren't the only team to face similar long odds for a comeback, of course, but just one team overcame an 0-3 deficit to capture the flag fifty years ago this week.

    Carlos Meza of Septima Entrada took a look back in time last week to recall when that team roared back with four straight wins to stun the Saltillo Saraperos for the championship. Here's an edited Google translation of his column:

Max Leon was 14-7 for Jalisco in 1971

    Fifty years ago, an unprecedented event occurred in the Mexican Baseball League: For the first and only time in a championship series, a team recovered from a 0-3 deficit to win the title. The protagonist of that story? The Jalisco Charros.

    And there can't be a great story without drama. In that season, the Charros made the playoffs on the last day of the regular season as the Mexico City Diablos Rojos fell in Veracruz, so Jalisco remained with the leadership of the LMB South and would face the leaders of the North, the Saltillo Saraperos.

    But a few days before the Final Series, Charros owner Álvaro Lebrija ran out of patience with pitchers Cecilio Acosta, Enrique Romo and Martín Raygoza and suspended them. "Discipline is more important than the title," they say the owner declared after the decision.

    But Saltillo manager Tomás Herrera's team delivered three almost-fulminating hits: On August 10 and 11, 1971, the Saraperos won games at the Estadio Tecnologico in Guadalajara and on the 13th, they also took a victory in Saltillo.

    Everything was ready for a great party in Coahuila in the fourth game of the series. However, rain canceled the game and the Saltillo board decided to carry out a doubleheader the next day so that local fans could see their club be crowned in Sunday.

    But everything changed. The Charros showed pride and beat Saraperos, 6-3 and 4-2, at Estadio Francisco I. Madero, narrowing the margin to 3-games-to-2 and forcing the Final Series to return to Guadalajara.

    “The God Tlaloc helped them with the rest day and the series returned to Guadalajara,” recalls current Charros Mexican Pacific League co-owner Armando Navarro, who as a fan experienced those finals in a packed Estadio Tecnologico. “They couldn't stop them anymore.”

    In the sixth game, reliever Manuel Lugo had to start the game and although the plan was for him to pitch four innings, he ended up pitching all nine. The Saraperos led, 2-0, on the scoreboard but the Charros rallied with run-scoring singles by Bill Parlier and Clemente Rosas to win the game, 3-2, and equalize the grand finale.

Charros skipper Cananea Reyes showered

    Then on Wednesday, August 18, the decisive game was played. Pablo Torrealba opened for Jalisco and Andrés Ayón for Saltillo, and the latter had a bad night.

    Jalisco scored in the first inning and Torrealba hung up six zeros. At the end of the sixth, Parlier hit a home run to make it 3-0 and sent Tech Stadium boiling. Singles by Francisco Campos and Francisco Menchaca would add two more scores for the five runs the Charros would score that day. The visitors responded with a home run by Jungla Salinas in the ninth inning, but everything was already written with a 5-1 on the board.

    That 1971 Jalisco team (the second and last one to win an LMB pennant) was under the command of young manager Benjamin “Cananea” Reyes. The Guadalajara nine had heroes like pitchers Máximino León, Pablo Torrealba, Ernesto Córdoba and Manuel Lugo as well as players like Jaime Corella, Clemente Rosas, Francisco Campos, Roberto Mendez, Lauro Villalobos and Roberto Castellón.

FERNANDO RODNEY TO PITCH FOR TIJUANA IN 2021

Rodney: "I shot an arrow in the air..."

    One of Major League Baseball's most prominent relief pitchers of the past two decades will be shooting his virtual arrows south of the border in 2021. Fernando Rodney has signed a one-year contract to pitch for the Tijuana Toros this summer.

    Rodney is coming to the Mexican League of the heels of 17 seasons in MLB, although he didn't pitch during the 2020 season. His 2019 campaign (an 0-5 record with two saves and a 5.66 ERA for Oakland and Washington) was nothing to write home about, although the Nats did win the World Series that fall, but the 5'11” right-hander had 25 saves and a 3.09 ERA in 43 outings for Minnesota in 2018 before a trade that August sent him to the A's, who used him as a setup man for Blake Treinan.

    Rodney made his major league debut for Detroit on May 4, 2002, tossing the final 1.1 innings of a 3-2 loss at Minnesota. He pitched for the Tigers through the 2009 season, when he was elevated to the closer role by manager Jim Leyland after bouncing between MLB and Class AAA the previous seven years. While his 2-5 record and 4.40 ERA were unimpressive, he posted 37 saves in 72 outings and finally had a foothold in the big leagues at age 31. However, his odyssey was just beginning.

    Since signing as a free agent with the Angels for $11 million over two years, Rodney pitched for ten MLB teams between 2010 and 2019. He appeared in three All-Star Games (2012, 2014 and 2016), led the American League in saves with 48 for Seattle in 2014 and averaged 25 saves per season during the decade while appearing in the postseason five times, so there were definitely successes along the way.

Fernando Rodney with 2019 champ Nats

    However, Rodney and the strike zone have not always seen eye-to-eye (a career 4.5 walks per 9 innings) and breaths in the stands were often held because a Rodney appearance was like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates: Fans never knew what they were gonna get. His saves were accompanied by his pantomime archer's motion sending an imaginary arrow skyward, along with thousands of sighs of relief from home crowds.

    Drama and walks aside, Rodney's overall body of work in 951 games as a major league pitcher has been generally positive. He compiled an unimpressive career record of 48-71, but his 327 saves rank 17^th all-time among MLB hurlers, his 3.80 earned-run average was creditable and he averaged just under one strikeout per inning (8.8 K's per 9). He won't be landing in Cooperstown, but the Dominican has been of of baseball's most effective and entertaining relief pitchers over the past decade. And now he's taking his talents south of the border.

    The Toros open training camp in Tijuana on April 20 while their regular season begins May 21 at Parque La Junta in Nuevo Laredo against the Dos Laredos Tecolotes.

VIRUS “TRAFFIC LIGHTS” TO BE USED FOR UPCOMING LMB SEASON

 

   With the Mexican League season a little more than 10 weeks aways, both league and team officials are keeping close tabs on the federal government's virtual Wuhan Virus-related “traffic light” system to plan game presentations for the 2021 schedule. At this point, only one of the Liga's 18 teams could be considered in the clear to proceed full speed ahead for their home schedule.

    According to Miguel Boada Najera of the Septima Entrada website, neither the LMB nor any of its teams have announced whether fans will be allowed in their respective ballparks (or what percentage of seats may be occupied) after the season opens May 20. The silence is understandable, given the fluid nature of the pandemic, but the unsettled situation is making it nearly impossible for teams to make plans moving forward. Instead, each club is having to create several different scenarios to address whatever limitations they'll have to deal with during the season.

    The “traffic light” system is based on four stages: A Red light means that only essential activities will be allowed in states or cities with that designation, meaning there will be no baseball played. An Orange light will allow limited non-essential activities, meaning that baseball games might be played but behind closed doors with no fans in ballparks. A Yellow light allows all activities to resume with limited public participation, so a set percentage of seats would be allowed to be occupied in stadiums during games. Finally, a Green light lifts all restrictions on activities and numbers allowed to watch live games, although some precautionary measures would remain in place.

    The good news for the Mexican League is that as of March 1, none of its teams are in a Red Light zone, meaning all scheduled games could take place if the season were to start today. The bad news is that only one franchise, the Campeche Piratas, are operating in a Green light zone and able to play at home in front of full capacity at Estadio Nelson Barrera, one of the Liga's smallest facilities with 6,000 seats.

A past large crowd in Campeche

    That means the other 17 LMB franchises are within Yellow or Orange light zones. The eleven Yellow light zone teams are Aguascalientes, Dos Laredos, Durango, Guadalajara, Leon, Monclova, Quintana Roo, Saltillo, Tijuana, Union Laguna and Veracruz. The six Orange light zone franchises facing tighter restrictions at home are Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tabasco and Yucatan. However, all those franchises are operating in conditions apart from each other and each will have to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

    Despite the overall uncertainty, the Mexican League has to be somewhat heartened over the possibility of all of its 18 teams playing their full 66-game regular season schedules even if no (or limited numbers of) fans are allowed in the stands, which the LMB says will not prevent games from taking place this year.

    In 2020, the LMB said that paying fans were necessary for many, if not most, of their teams to operate without drowning in seas of red ink. While statements from the league office in Mexico City can often be taken with a grain of salt, it's hard to dispute that one. Most Mexican League franchises are unprofitable and without any large-scale sponsorships or media contracts, attendance at home games is critical because such teams generate the vast majority of their revenue from in-park ticket, concessions and merchandise sales. Whether it's opening the gates and not making enough money for expenses or keeping the gates closed and not making any money at all, neither option is an attractive one.

MEX PAC ANNNOUNCES 2020-21 SEASON GOLD GLOVE WINNERS

Mexicali pitcher Javier Solano

    The Mexican Pacific League office in Guadalajara has announced the nine winners of its Gold Glove Awards for the recently-concluded 2020-21 season. Three of the players played for Hermosillo while two others toiled for two-time champions Culiacan. Mexicali, Obregon, Guasave and Monterrey each placed one member among the LMP's leading leather men.

Pitcher: JAVIER SOLANO (Mexicali)

    To look at him, few would expect veteran Javier Solano to be a top fielder. Although he's been one of the Mex Pac's most effective pitchers for years, Solano bears a physical resemblence to former Detroit Tigers hurler Mickey Lolich or Salon de la Fama member George Brunet (neither of whom were considered svelte).

    Still, Solano helped himself by handling all 23 chances that came his way over 12 starts last winter for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Three other pitchers were flawless as well, but Solano got the nod by leading the quartet with 86 innings pitched.

Catcher: ALEXIS WILSON (Culiacan)

    The Los Mochis native spent six years in the St. Louis organization and was invited to the Cardinals training camp last spring, but was never a starter before his release from Class A Peoria last May. When the 24-year-old Wilson took over for injured vet Ali Solis last winter, there were questions as to whether he was up to the task.

    Although Wilson only hit .231 for Culiacan in 46 games, he turned in a .997 fielding percentage with one error in 352 chances behind the plate while reportedly earning interest from MLB organizations, so at least some questions were answered.

First Base: EFREN NAVARRO (Culiacan)

    A former MLBer who appeared with the Angels, Tigers and Cubs between 2011 and 2018 (as well as NPB's Hanshin Tigers) after some solid minor league seasons in which he was a PCL All-Star in 2013, Navarro gave the champion Tomateros a .246 average with 13 doubles and six homers last winter.

    He gave Culiacan solid defense at first base over 50 games as well, with just two errors in 426 chances for a .996 fielding percentage. Navarro also won a PCL Gold Glove in 2011 while playing for Salt Lake.

Second Base: CARLOS SEPULVEDA (Obregon)

    Sepulveda is a former Cubs farmhand who was signed by the Dodgers and assigned to AA Tulsa heading into spring training this year. The Monclova native has not been a strong hitter north of the border but hit .305 with 13 doubles and 12 steals for Obregon last winter.

    However, it was his glovework that garnered him the most attention in the Mex Pac. Sepulveda committed only one error in 231 chances over 51 games for the Yaquis for a .996 fielding percentage, turning 35 double plays along the way, after eight miscues with a .964 percentage in 2019-20.

Third Base: EMMANUEL AVILA (Guasave)

    Avila spent his first four years of pro ball in the White Sox farm system before debuting with his hometown Los Mochis Caneros in 2009-10. He's since been an infield mainstay in both the LMP and LMB, where he topped the .300 mark every year between 2013 and 2019 and played in four All-Star Games during that span.

    Avila hit .279 last season for Guasave, his fourth Mex Pac stop. In the field, the 32-year-old led all LMP third sackers with a .964 fielding average, handling 134 of 139 chances cleanly. He's also a proficient shortstop and played second base early in his career.

Hermosillo shortstop Jasson Atondo

Shortstop: JASSON ATONDO (Hermosillo)

    Ever since debuting at 19 with Campeche of the Mexican League in 2015, Atondo has been a guy who can be plugged in at second, third or shortstop and give his team a good performance. After playing sporadically for Hermosillo over three winters, he hit .351 and was the LMP's Rookie of the Year in 2018-19, then batted .331 for the Piratas in 2019.

    Playing 52 games at shortstop for the Naranjeros in 2020-21, Atondo had four errors in 228 chances for a .982 fielding percentage to augment his .268 batting average.

Left Field: NORBERTO OBESO (Hermosillo)

    Obeso was an outfielder in the Blue Jays system for five years (and a 2015 All-Star pick with Toronto's Dominican Summer League affiliate), but elected free agency earlier this winter. He became a starter for his hometown Orangemen in 2018-19 and had his best winterball season yet last season, batting .329 with 10 doubles under manager Juan Navarrete.

    Able to play both corner outfield slots, Obeso had a .994 fielding percentage in 81 chances over 44 games in left field for the Naranjeros.

Center Field: JOSÉ CARDONA (Hermosillo)

    Cardona turned a lot of heads for his play in the Caribbean Series with Culiacan last month, but he'd been playing well all season before the Tomateros picked him up as a reinforcement. The speedy ex-Rangers minor leaguer hit .279 for Hermosillo and stole 16 bases in 17 attempts during the regular season.

    He was just as good in center field, with just one bobble in 154 chances over 52 games for a .994 fielding percentage. Possessed with a good arm, Cardona added five assists and took part in three double plays. He'll play for Leon in the LMB this summer.

Right Field: PAULO ORLANDO (Monterrey)

    One of five Brazilians to appear in MLB, the member of the 2015 World Champion Royals is better known for his hitting (.302 with 24 doubles for Kansas City in 2016) and backed that up with a .308 average and eight homers this winter, including a .323 mark for the Sultanes after coming over in a trade with Obregon.

    Orlando, a former soccer player who began playing baseball at 12, turned in a solid season on defense as well. He played 50 games in right field and went 120-for-121 on total chances to finish with a .992 fielding percentage. He'll play for Dos Laredos this summer.

MEXICO TOPS USA 3-2 IN 10 TO QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS

Mexico's Efren Navarro and Matt Clark

Matt Clark's ninth-inning solo home run put the game into extra innings, but it was Efren Navarro's single in the bottom of the tenth that gave the Mexican National Team a hard-fought 3-2 win over the United States in Saturday's Premier12 Bronze Medal game at the Tokyo Dome.  More important, the Verdes Grande's second win over the USA in the tournament meant that Mexico will make their Olympic baseball debut next summer in Tokyo.

The Americans sprinted to a quick 1-0 lead when Angels prospect Jo Adell socked an opposite-field solo homer off Mexican starter Arturo Reyes in the top of the first, but Reyes settled down to toss two-hit shutout ball before giving way to reliever Brennan Bernardino with one out in the sixth frame with the score still at 1-0.  Mexico tied the contest up in the bottom of the sixth when Clark drilled a sharp bases-loaded single to right off reliever Daniel Tillo to plate Jonathan Jones from third base.  Tillo had replaced Cody Ponce, a Pirates farmhand who whitewashed the Mexicans on three hits with six strikeouts over the first five entradas.

The USA regained the lead in the top of the seventh when Andrew Vaughn led off with a single, moved to second on Eric Kratz' sacrifice hit and scored when Bobby Dalbec singled up the middle off Jesus Rios to make it a 2-1 contest, a score that held up until Clark belted a leadoff four-bagger deep to center off American closer Brandon Dickson to tie things up at 2-2.  Dickson got out of the inning without further damage and manager Scott Brosius decided to keep the former St. Louis pitcher (who's spent the past seven years with NPB's Orix Buffaloes) on the mound for the tenth after the USA failed to score on Mexican closer Carlos Bustamante in the top of that inning.

Using WBSC tiebreaker rules, Noah Perio was placed on second base and Jorge Flores on first to start the bottom of the tenth for Mexico.  Jones led off with a sacrifice bunt to Dickson on the mound, moving Perio to third and Flores to second.  Dickson then intentionally walked Esteban Quiroz to load the bases before being pulled for Caleb Thielbar to face Navarro, who blooped a broken-bat single to shallow center to bring Perio in from third for the walkoff game-winner.   Navarro, who was 0-for-4 for the game at that point, fouled off four consecutive Thielber deliveries before delivering the coup de grace for Mexico on the eighth pitch in the count.  Bustamante earned the win by hurling a scoreless tenth while Dickson was tagged with the loss.  Clark finished with a pair of hits and two RBIs for Mexico while Adell singled and doubled for the Americans while contributing defensively with a diving catch of a Navarro fly to left field in the eighth.

Verdes Grande: "We're going to Tokyo (again)!"

After sweeping all three of their Group A games in Guadalajara, Mexico won their first two Super Round contests in Japan, including a 2-0 shutout over Taiwan last Monday in Chiba as Reyes and five relievers combined on a three-hitter while Ali Solis contributed a solo homer.  The Verdes Grande followed that up with another shutout on Tuesday, this one a 3-0 blanking of Australia in Tokyo with Eduardo Vera and four relievers tossing a four-hitter while Jones and Clark went deep for the winners.  Mexico then lost for the first time in six games Wednesday, dropping a 3-1 decision to host Japan in the Tokyo Dome despite Jones' second homer in as many nights.  Then it was a second loss in a row on Thursday as manager Juan Castro's side fell, 7-3, to South Korea with Jones homering once again for Mexico, who finished third in the Super Round with a 3-2 record, including a Group A win over the USA (2-3) that counted in the second stage to set up the Bronze Medal contest.  Japan (4-1) and South Korea (3-2) squared off Saturday for the Gold Medal, with the Baseball Samurai emerging victorious by a 6-3 score.

By defeating the second-ranked Americans, Mexico (rated sixth in the world by the WBSC prior to the Premier12) qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, marking the first time the Verdes Grande will play in the Games.  After Saturday's win, Navarro was humble. "You must credit all of the team for this accomplishment, " he said,  "including the pitchers and Matt Clark, who kept us in the game with his homer."  For his part, Clark said, "We're going to the Olympics.  You can't put it in words.  It's such a great achievement as a country, as players, as coaches...everyone that's involved back home, the fans.

"It's going to be an amazing experience for everybody to be able to go there and show the world what we have."


YAQUIS TAKE LMP LEAD INTO FINAL WEEK OF FIRST HALF SCHEDULE

Obregon lefty Arturo Lopez

With just six games remaining in the Mexican Pacific League's first-half schedule, the Obregon Yaquis have pulled into a two-game lead over Jalisco in a battle for first place and the eight accompanying playoff points.  The 21-11 Yaquis completed a three-game road series in Navojoa Sunday with a 4-0 shutout over the Mayos as Arturo Lopez and four relievers combined to hold the host team to three singles while number nine hitter Ricardo Valenzuela keyed a four-run seventh inning for Obregon with a two-run single.  Jesus "Cacao" Valdez contributed a pair of doubles and scored once for the winners while leadoff batter Taike Sekine, an import from Japan's Yokohama BayStars, chipped in with two singles, one of them scoring a run.

The Yaquis have been led offensively by outfielder Jose Aguilar, who leads the team with a .358 average and 25 runs scored.  Aguilar has had his share of misadventures on the basepaths thus far this season, however, and has been caught stealing seven times in eleven attempts.  Obregon's power has been supplied by the triumvirate of Valdez, Paulo Orlando and Art Charles, who have six homers each and a combined 68 RBIs through 31 games.  Orlando is second to Aguilar on the Yaquis with a .326 average.  Charles has otherwise struggled to a .216 mark but his 19 hits have produced six homers and 21 ribbies.  Sekine, a 24-year-old outfielder who bats left, has hit .282 since joining the Yaquis after the season started, but his most valuable asset may be his speed.  On a team where no other player has more than four stolen bases, Sekine has 10 swipes in 11 attempts over 23 games.  To put that into perspective, the rest of the Yaquis are a combined 10-for-27 in steals, which makes the 5'6" Sekine even more valuable to manager Sergio Gastelum.

Yaquis outfielder Taiki Sekine

The aforementioned Lopez has been the most consistent pitcher among a pretty good mound staff.  His win Sunday brought his record to 3-1, his 2.04 ERA ranks third in the MexPac behind Navojoa's Raul Carrillo and Jon van Meter of Mexicali and Lopez' 35 strikeouts leads the league.  While no other Obregon pitchers ranks in the top 20 of qualified hurlers in the ERA race, the Yaquis' team ERA of 3.42 is fifth in the circuit and their collective 242 strikeouts lead the LMP.  Former White Sox prospect Ryan Kussmaul has been the primary closer for the Yaquis and while his 2.37 ERA over 18 outings has been fairly impressive (as is his limiting opponents to a .222 batting average), he's only got a team-high five saves for the season thus far and none since November 1.  The Obregon roster generally doesn't stack up favorably compared to the likes of Culiacan or Jalisco, but Gastelum has shown over his short managerial career that he can figure out ways to win with limited resources and took an underpowered Oaxaca Mexican League team to the Fall 2018 Serie del Rey so the Yaquis shouldn't be summarily counted out either.

Los Mochis outfielder Noel Cuevas leads the MexPac in batting with a .371 average, just ahead of Navojoa veteran Christian Zazueta's .368.  Jalisco first baseman Stephen Cardullo's nine homers is tops in the LMP with four players tied at seven roundtrippers apiece, while Cardullo teammate Daniel Alvarez (one of that foursome) leads with 27 RBIs, one more than Monterrey's Felix Perez.  Rico Noel of Culiacan continues to pace base stealers with 15 SBs, while Tomateros teammate Sebastian Elizalde has 11.  Elizalde has reached double figures in steals once in his 10-year professional career.

Yoanys Quiala of Los Mochis earned a win over Guasave Friday night to run his record to 6-0 in seven starts for the Caneros and still leads the LMP in wins.  As mentioned, Obregon's Lopez leads with 35 strikeouts while Navojoa's Carrillo leads in ERA at 1.71.  Ralph Garza of Monterrey and Trey McNutt of Hermosillo are tied at the top with nine saves apiece and Monterrey's Nick Struck's nine holds head that list as well.

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE standings
Obregon 21-11, Jalisco 19-13, Hermosillo 18-13, Culiacan 17-15, Monterrey 16-16,  Los Mochis 15-17, Mazatlan 14-18, Mexicali 14-18, Guasave 14-18, Navojoa 11-20.



FERNANDO, 3 OTHERS INDUCTED INTO SALON DE LA FAMA

Rodriguez, Valenzuela, Fernandez and Saenz

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitching star Fernando Valenzuela was one of four new members who were inducted into the Mexican baseball hall of fame last week in Monterrey.  Valenzuela was joined by Daniel Fernandez, Ricardo Saenz and Cuauhtemoc "Chito" Rodriguez at ceremonies held at the new Salon de la Fama facility, which was completed earlier this year and largely bankrolled by Mexico City Diablos Rojos and Oaxaca Guerreros owner Alfredo Harp Helu.  The foursome were elected in 2014 and become the first actual inductees since a similar ceremony was held in 2011, after which the old Salon de la Fama on a brewery site was shut down by its owners and all plaques and other treasures were placed in storage until last spring.

Valenzuela, who now owns the Quintana Roo Tigres with his wife Linda Burgos, was the Mexican League Rookie of the Year with Yucatan in 1979 as an 18-year-old before being purchased by the Dodgers.  He made his MLB debut one year later, going 2-0 in ten relief appearances in 1980.  However, it was in 1981 when "Fernandomania" gripped southern California and baseball in general as the Navojoa native went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and a league-leading 180 strikeouts, winning the Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year while making the first of six All-Star game appearances as the Dodgers won the World Series that Fall, all at the ripe age of 20.  Valenzuela went on to a 17-year MLB career and finished with a lifetime 173-153 record and a 3.54 record.  While he likely won't end up elected to the other Hall of Fame in upstate New York, "El Toro" was easily the most popular Mexican player in the big leagues and is still beloved by fans south of the border.

Fernandez is a Veracruz native who spent 26 seasons playing in the Mexican League, all but one with the Diablos Rojos, and hit .315 lifetime (including sixteen .300+ campaigns).  The 5'8" outfielder, who tipped the scales at 170 pounds, was never a slugger and hit fewer than 100 homers for his career.  However, Fernandez was a productive leadoff batter who had enough gap power to stroke 388 doubles while his 111 triples are tied for third all-time in the Liga.  He was also speedy enough to steal 479 bases (also third on the all-time list) and his 1,837 career runs are the most ever scored by an LMB player and nearly 200 more than his nearest competitor.  Fernandez also managed Mexico City to a pennant in 2008, his first year as a skipper, but has yet to duplicate that success since.

Saenz was another longtime veteran in the Mexican League, as the Coahuila product patrolled left field over 25 seasons for several teams during his playing career, primarily for Saltillo and Monclova.  Although he didn't hit for as high an average as Fernandez did (batting .296 for his career, although he did top .300 twelve times), Saenz had much more power and belted 296 career homers among his 2,453 career hits, topping 20 homers five times and once hit four longballs in a single nine-inning game.  He also drove in 1,318 runs and had enough speed to swipe 102 bases.  Saenz is the LMB's all-time leader with 496 doubles.  Saenz also spent 21 winters in the Mexican Pacific League, knocking out 102 homers in that time.

Rodriguez is a Sonora native who made his mark in Mexican baseball off the field, spending over four decades in the front office as a general manager with LMB teams, primarily the Tecolotes and Tigres.  He was in Nuevo Laredo from 1975 through 1994 before joining the then-Mexico City Tigres in 1995 and remaining with them through franchise shifts to Puebla and Cancun until his retirement in 2017, shortly after Carlos Peralta sold the Tigres to the Valenzuelas.  Between the two organizations, Rodriguez oversaw nine Mexican League pennant-winning teams.  He was also part of a player selection committee for Mexico in three World Baseball Classics (2006, 2009 and 2013) and represented the LMB for several years with Minor League Baseball, who named him "King of Baseball" in 2011.

New Salon de la Fama in Monterrey

Salon de la Fama director Francisco Padilla welcomed guests to last week's ceremony before turning things over to new Electoral Committee president Antonio de Valdes.  Also taking part were Harp and Nuevo Leon governor Jaime Rodriguez as the four Salon newcomers brought the total number of enshrinees to an even 200.  Mexican League co-founder Alejandro "Fray Nano" Aguilar, a sports writer by trade, introduced the Salon de la Fama in 1939, albeit on more of a conceptual basis.  Annual inductions began in 1973 in Monterrey at a building on the Cuahutemoc Brewery grounds and continued until the brewery decided to shut down the Salon in 2012.  There was an abortive attempt to resurrect the Salon in Culiacan a few years ago but it wasn't until the billionaire Harp stepped up to cover the cost of construction that a permanent home in Monterrey was opened this year.