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| Aguascalientes Rieleros 3B Jose Vargas |
Aguascalientes
Rieleros third baseman Jose Vargas has opened a sizeable lead in the Mexican
League’s home run title chase after a recent stretch during which the Californian
crashed seven longballs in a six-game stretch last week, including three homers
in a four-inning span against Leon last Saturday night in a wild 15-11
Railroaders loss to the Bravos.
A gathering
of 1,866 at Estadio Alberto Chavez Romo in Aguascalientes looked on at the
Ventura College product and former White Sox farm hand socked a solo shot off
Leon veteran Walter Silva in the fifth frame, followed by three-run dingers
against Normand Mendoza in the sixth and Nicolas Heredia in the eighth,
respectively, to run his season total to 26 homers to augment a .390 batting
average with 50 RBIs over the first 44 games of the season as the Liga passed
the first 1/3 of its 2019 schedule.
Former
Orioles five-tool prospect Felix Pie socked a pair of homers and drove in five
runs for the Bravos, who won despite allowing 11 runs on 14 hits (which
indicates exactly why the Bravos are just 19-25 on the season despite a
starting lineup that boasts .300+ batters at all nine slots in the order. Pie ended the weekend with a .461 average to
top the LMB, his 16 homers are tied with teammate Matt Clark and two others for
fourth in the circuit and his 57 RBIs are third in the league behind co-leaders
Vargas and Clark.
Leon’s .330 team batting average
trails only Monterrey’s .336 mark among the 16 Liga teams but the Bravos’ 8.15
team ERA is dead last and suggests that manager Tony Aguilera might be better
served replacing his pitchers with a batting tee atop home plate while sending
out a fourth outfielder instead (on either side of the wall. The most effective Leon hurler thus far has
been 38-year-old Manny Acosta, a onetime Braves and Mets pitcher whose 3-1
record and three saves suggest he’s throwing a little better than his 5.60 ERA
indicates.
It’s been that kind of year in the
LMB, which has apparently resurrected its longstanding reputation as a hitter’s
have with 12 teams batting .304 or more and al but Tabasco averaging at least
one homer per opening. The offensive
explosion has meant pitchers are proving Newton’s Third Law (“For every action…”)
with 13 teams allowing five or more runs per game. Even traditionally pitching-rich Yucatan has
not been immune from the Curse of the Franklin Ball. The Leones are usually hovering just above a
3.00 team ERA but this year the Merida club is showing a 5.38 ERA, and it’s a
sign of the times that they’re still fourth in the circuit. Fans who love 1-0 pitcher’s duels haven’t had
much to cheer about in the 2019 version of the Mexican League.
As the Mexican
League approaches its ninth week of the current season, we’re starting to see some
separation between contenders and pretenders for its eight playoff berths, with
a couple of spirited battles for the LMB’s regular season division titles to
spur fan interest.
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| Campeche Piratas OF Jay Austin |
The 32-13 Monclova Acereros
stumbled a bit on the first leg of their six-game road trip in the South by
losing two of three to Tabasco in Villahermosa before winning two of three in
Campeche, including a 4-3 loss in the Walled City as Jay Austin’s walkoff
single in the bottom of the ninth plated Jose Guadalupe Chavez with the
game-winning run. Despite the tough
loss, the Steelers sport the Liga’s best record at 32-12 to hold a 1.5-game
lead over 31-14 Tijuana in the LMB North. Defending champion Monterrey sits two games
behind the Toros at 29-16 while 26-19 Dos Laredos is fourth, four games up on
22-23 Saltillo.
The 27-18 Oaxaca
Guerreros have won five in a row (including three-game weekend sweep in Saltillo)
to sneak past Mexico City in the LMB South to lead the 26-18 Diablos by a half-game. Mexico City won two of three games apiece in
series at Saltillo and Laguna during last week’s northern road trip but Friday’s
defeat in Torreon was enough to drop the Red Devils out of first. Puebla (25-20) sits two games out of the top
slot and a nice battle has developed for the fourth and final playoff slot
between 21-24 Yucatan and 20-25 Leon.
Felix Pie
of Leon is batting .461 to hold a commanding 52-point lead over Mexico City’s Emmanuel
Avila. Jason Vargas’ 26 homers for
Aguascalientes are tops in the loop, four head of Monclova slugger Chris Carter’s
22. The former NL home run champ went
long once in both Tabasco and Campeche last week. Leon’s Matt Clark has 61 runs batted in to
lead Vargas by one. Dos Laredos
outfielder Johnny Davis has a good lead in stolen bases with 28, 12 more than
Alonzo Harris of Oaxaca. A darkhorse in
the SB race is Leon outfielder Jeremias Pineda.
The speedy Dominican has only played 17 games for the Bravos after
missing a month of the season, but he’s a perfect 12-for-12 in swipes over the 17
games he has played in to tie Campeche’s Jay Austin for fourth, but is a player
who can pile up the SBs in a hurry.
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| Tijuana Toros P James Russell |
Cuarto Bat WRITER'S TOP 6 MEXICAN BALLPARKS (PART 5)
A writer for Mexican
baseball website Cuarto Bat, Yasser Trujillo, posted a column in April about
his picks for the top six ballparks in the Mexican and Mexican Pacific leagues.
Here is the third part of a series in which we bring you a translated version.
You'll find their site at CuartoBat.com, where fans can download a free copy of
their February magazine.
2. NUEVO ESTADIO YAQUIS, OBREGON
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| Nuevo Estadio Yaquis, Obregon |
The
contrast that exists in the Yaqui Territory is worth mentioning. Once Ciudad Obregon ends and the visitor
drives for five minutes on a small road, the home of the Yaquis is
erected. It is a majestic scenario
surrounded only by an asphalt road, dirt and an occasional rancheria. It is the ideal location to avoid conglomerations
but, in turn, far from presuming surroundings that invite tourism.
Possessing
an impressive and original external metal design, it immediately refers to the
one used at Estadio BBVA, home of Liga MX soccer’s Monterrey Rayados. The front of the Tribe’s lair consists of
eight columns that symbolize the seven Yaquis peoples of the region and the
proud eighth: The Yaquis Nation.
It has an
internal corridor of 270 degrees, in which access to the outfield is not
allowed unless you have a ticket for that section. It has a huge official store where you can
almost anything to do with the local team. To access the ballpark, there are automated
turnstiles to present your physical ticket or via your cell phone. There are televisions in each column, a free
Wi-Fi network, and a huge screen with 4K definition. It also has a large food court consisting of
about 30 stores with varied offerings, including two a la carte bars/restaurants
overlooking the playing field. There is
also a Hal of Fame with legendary trophies and uniforms, luxury boxes and even
a gym on the second floor.
NOTE: I'm in The Philippines until June 20 and the internet here is spotty, so BBM may be interrupted for the next three Monday. However, as no less than Douglas MacArthur said a few years ago, "I shall return." MacArthur was in the Philippines at the time, too, although the stakes were just a trifle higher for him.
