MEX PAC TO OPEN 77TH WINTERBALL SEASON TUESDAY

Culiacan players readying for season

    The Mexican Pacific League is scheduled to begin its 2021-22 season with a trio pf games on Tuesday night. Jalisco will host Monterrey, Mazatlan will visit Culiacan and Hermosillo will be at home against Mexicali. In all, ten games will be played between Tuesday and Thursday as teams play home-and-away sets against league rivals, including Obregon against Navojoa as well as Los Mochis against Guasave. A full slate of five games is set for Saturday night.

    As in the past, the Mex Pac regular season will be split into two halves, with the 32-game first half closing on Thursday, November 11 and the 36-game second half commencing one day later and concluding Thursday, December 23, about a week earlier than in previous seasons. The top eight teams will advance to the playoffs, which open on Christmas Day. After three stages of the postseason, the playoff champions will take a heavily-reinforced team to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic for the Caribbean Series between January 28 and February 3, 2022.

    The Culiacan Tomateros are shooting for a third consecutive pennant and trip to the Serie del Caribe under manager Benji Gil. Defending batting champion Yadiel Hernandez will be back in Hermosillo hoping to follow up on his .339 average while home run (15) and RBI (52) kingpin Japhet Amador will try to do the same with the Jalisco Charros, who were set to announce the sale of the team to the owners of the Mexican League's Guadalajara Mariachis after front office squabbles and legal threats decimated what has been one of the LMP's flagship franchises.

    Mexicali pitcher Miguel Pena has returned for another season in the border city after being awarded the LMP's ERA title last winter (2.08), as is veteran righty Javier Solano, who was second with a 2.60 figure. Strikeout champ Manny Barreda (64 K's) is expected back in Culiacan after making his MLB debut with Baltimore this summer while wins co-leaders Fernando Miranda and Juan Pablo Oramas (8 each) will both pitch another season of winterball in Guasave and Hermosillo, respectively.

    SKY Sports will stream all regular season and playoff games live for a second season in a row this winter. Full season packages through the LMP championship series are available for US$69.99 via the Extrabase.TV prompt in the top right corner of the league website.

    The following is a directory for the LMP and its ten member clubs in 2021-22, with most information taken from the Mex Pac website:

MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Website: www.lmp.com
Facebook: @LigaARCO
Twitter: @Liga_Arco
Email: medios@lmp.mx
Phone: (33) 38 17 07 68
President: Omar Canizales
Sports Director: Christian Veliz

CULIACAN TOMATEROS
Website: www.tomateros.com.mx
Facebook: @clubtomateros
Twitter: @clubtomateros
Email: redessociales@tomateros.com.mx
Phone: (667) 758-3400
Sports Manager: Mario Valdez
Manager: Benji Gil
Home Stadium: Estadio Tomateros de Culiacan (21,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-325, CF-410, RF-325
LMP Championships: Twelve

GUASAVE ALGODONEROS
Website: www.losalgodoneros.mx
Facebook: @AlgodonerosdeGuasavemx
Twitter: @AlgodonerosGsv
Email: contacto@losalgodoners.mx
Phone: (687) 138-4323
Sports Manager: Alejandro Ahumada
Manager: Oscar Robles
Home Stadium: Estadio Francisco Carranza Limon (10,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-320, CF-400 RF-325
LMP Championships: One

HERMOSILLO NARANJEROS
Website: www.naranjeros.com.mx
Facebook: @clubnaranjeros
Twitter: @clubnaranjeros
Email: contacto@naranjeros.com.mx
Phone: (662) 260-3932
Sports Director: Derek Bryant
Manager: Juan Navarrete
Home Stadium: Estadio Sonora (16,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-325, CF-400 RF-335
LMP Championships: Sixteen

JALISCO CHARROS
Website: www.charrosjalisco.com
Facebook: @CharrosBeisbolOficial
Twitter: @CharrosBeisbol
Email: comunicacion.charros@gmail.com
Phone: (331) 562-0485
Sports Manager: Raymundo Padilla
Manager: Roberto Vizcarra
Home Stadium: Estadio Panamericano (16,500)
Field Dimensions: LF-335, CF-415, RF-335
LMP Championships: One

LOS MOCHIS CANEROS
Website: www.caneros.net
Facebook: @verdesxsiempre
Twitter: @verdesxsiempre
Email: contacto@caneros.net
Phone: (668) 818-6323
Sports Manager: Carlos Soto
Manager: Robinson Cancel
Home Stadium: Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada (12,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-320, CF-400, RF-320
LMP Championships: Three

MAZATLAN VENADOS
Website: www.venadosdemazatlan.com.mx
Facebook: @VenadosBaseball
Twitter: @Venadosbase
Email: club@venadosdemazatlan.com.mx
Phone: (669) 981-1710
Sports Manager: Jesus Valdez Rodriguez
Manager: Eddie Diaz
Home Stadium: Estadio Teodoro Mariscal (16,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-325, CF-400, RF-330
LMP Championships: Nine

MEXICALI AGUILAS
Website: www.aguilasdemexicali.mx
Facebook: @aguilasdemxli
Twitter: @aguilasdemxli
Email: info@aguilasdemexicali.mx
Phone: (686) 800-4000
Sports Manager: David Cardenas
Manager: Bronswell Patrick
Home Stadium: Estadio Aguilas de Mexicali (17,000)
Field Dimensions: LF-330, CF-400, RF-330
LMP Championships: Four

MONTERREY SULTANES
Website: www.sultanes.com.mx
Facebook: @SultanesOficial
Twitter: @SultanesOficial
Email: info@sultanes.com.mx
Phone: (812) 270-2000
Sports Manager: Jesus Valdez Diaz
Manager: Gerardo Alvarez
Home Stadium: Estadio be Beisbol Monterrey (21,906)
Field Dimensions: LF-320, CF-400, RF-320
LMP Championships: None

NAVOJOA MAYOS
Website: www.mayosbeisbol.com
Facebook: @OficialMayosBeisbol
Twitter: @OficialMayos
Email: clubmayos@hotmail.com
Phone: (642) 422-1433
Sports Manager: Lauro Villalobos
Manager: Lorenzo Bundy
Home Stadium: Estadio Manuel “Ciclon” Echeverria (11,500)
Field Dimensions: LF-318, CF-378, RF-318
LMP Championships: Two

OBREGON YAQUIS
Website: www.yaquis.com.mx
Facebook: @YaquisDeObregon
Twitter:@Yaquis_oficial
Email: oficina@yaquis.com.mx
Phone: (644) 413-7766
Sports Manager: Manuel Velez
Manager: Sergio Gastelum
Home Stadium: Estadio Yaquis (16,500)
Field Dimensions: LF-325, CF-400, RF-325
LMP Championships: Seven

VENEZUELA BOOTS MEXICO FOR U-23 BASEBALL WORLD CUP TITLE

Mexican team takes field in Obregon

    Venezuela downed host Mexico, 4-0, on Saturday night at Estadio Sonora in Hermosillo to capture a U-23 World Championship in Hermosillo. Venezuelan starter Wikelman Ramirez tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits on the night. The 21-year-old right-hander struck out four and baffled Mexico’s hitters all night long.

    Two runs in bottom of the first inning gave Venezuela an early lead. With two out and Carlos Rodriguez (whose leadoff single to center barely eluded a diving Fabricio Macias) standing on second base, a high pop fly to the right side of the infield by Romer Cuadrado ate Mexico second baseman Reivaj Garcia alive, clanking off Garcia's mitt into shallow right and allowing Rodriguez to score as Cuadrado carried his gift safely to second. Juan Fernandez then sliced a ground ball that handcuffed third baseman Keven Lamas to put runners at the corners for Justin Lopez, whose 3-and-2 single to right on the ninth pitch of his at-bat against Mexico's Saul Castellanos brought Cuadrado in with the second unearned run of the inning.

    Venezuela's next two runs came in more straightforward fashion in the bottom of the third. Jesus Lujano led off with a double down the left-field line, moved to third on a Robert Perez groundout to Mexican shortstop Javier Salazar and scored on Cuadrado's sacrifice fly to Macias in center to bring the score to 3-0. The next batter, Fernandez, drilled Castellanos' second pitch for a homer that barely stayed fair as it passed the foul pole in left. A Lopez double ended the night for Castellanos but for all intent and purposes, the game was pretty much over by then. Ramirez only needed 86 pitches (60 of them strikes) to complete the shutout, scattering a double to Eric Meza and singles by Tirso Ornelas and Roque Salinas.

    "The fact of playing in Mexico put too much pressure on these players," commented Mexico's manager Enrique “Che” Reyes after the loss. "It's a fact we didn't play well enough to beat Venezuela." Venezuela’s last international World Championship came in 2012 when its team finished first at the 15U Baseball World Championship. "It is really easy to work with these players," commented Venezuelan manager Carlos Garcia. "They came together, worked hard, stayed focused on our goal. And more than that, they enjoyed playing the game."

 

Lining up for Silver Medal presentation

   Mexico topped the first-round Group A standings with a 4-1 record after beating Germany, 3-1, last Monday to advance to the Super Round. Agustin Ruiz contributed a two-run double in the bottom of the first and starter Jorge Leo tossed four scoreless frames. After losing a 2-0 shutout to Panama and being thumped 7-1 by Venezuela, Mexico salvaged their Super Round stint with a 3-2 win over Colombia as Tirso Ornelas socked a homer in the bottom of the sixth and Robles Rabago tossed a scoreless seventh to seal the victory. Mexico advanced to the Gold Medal game by virtue of their aggregate 3-2 record against teams in the Super Round over the two stages of the tournament.

    In the first game of Saturday's medal-round doubleheader, Colombia topped Cuba, 5-3, for the Bronze as Angel Angulo belted two homers and drove in three runs. Saturday night’s game during the first U-23 World Cup with the new seven inning format was played in just one hour and forty minutes.

    One Mexican, shortstop Salazar, was named to the All-World team after batting .320 over eight games in the tournament. Colombia's leftfielder, Gustavo Camprero, was chosen as MVP for his .519 average and 11 runs scored during the event. Ornelas led Mexico by batting .370 (10-for-27) while hitting one of the host country's three World Cup homers (the other two were swatted by Macias and Lamas. Reliever Juan Robles won two of the five games Mexico won playing in Hermosillo and Obregon and was unscored upon in 6.1 innings over four appearances. Alejandro Chavez allowed no runs in two starts and 9.1 frames as the entire staff turned in a 1.92 ERA in nine games, but the batters (a collective .245) couldn't put anything together in the Gold Medal contest with Venezuela.

MEX PAC ROAD TRIP: Mexicali, Baja California Norte

Mexicali's Chinatown is Mexico's largest

    Heading northwest from Monterrey, we’ll make the second stop on our Mexican Pacific League Road Trip in the the border city of Mexicali, home of the LMP Aguilas and 936,826 metropolitan residents on Mexico’s northwestern border with California.

    Historically, Mexicali is a fairly “recent” city, developed as a center for area farmers just over 100 years ago. After becoming the capital of Baja California Norte in 1915, it grew (like many Mexican border towns) as a place for North Americans to engage in illicit activity over the course of the 20th Century. The economy expanded in more legitimate directions as foreign companies established maquiladora factories in and around Mexicali. 

    Maquiladoras are common in Mexican cities along the USA border, built primarily by North American companies who seek to take advantage of Mexico’s lower labor costs while having close access to the USA market. Maquiladoras have accounted for much of Mexicali’s burgeoning population. Across the border lies the twin city of Calexico, California. Both share a 24-hour border crossing.

    While Mexicali is not the tourist draw Tijuana has become to the west, there are still some local points of interest. It has the Mexico’s largest Chinatown (La Chinesca) and there are a large number of shops and restaurants in a triangular area near the border. In the former state governor’s mansion (on Avenida Alvaro Obregon) lies the Galeria de la Ciudad, which displays works by many leading Mexican artists. Mexicali is also home to the University of Baja California, where a regional museum features exhibits of paleontology, archaeology, ethnography, landscape photography and missions of Baja California. The annual Fiesta del Sol in October is one of the year’s highlights.

Estadio Aguilas de Mexicali

    Still, Mexicali is not a textbook example of a traveler’s paradise. It is very hot during the summer, gets temperatures below freezing level during the night in winter and in general is not tourist-oriented despite being one of the most prominent border crossings between the USA and Mexico. Millions of people have passed through Calexico to Mexicali, but few of them stay overnight.

    Mexicali’s baseball team is called the Aguilas, or “Eagles.” The Aguilas were formed in 1976 and are in their 45th winter in the MexPac, having won four LMP pennants and a Caribbean Series championship in 1986 under legendary manager Ben “Cananea” Reyes. Their home stadium, known officially as Estadio Aguilas de Mexicali (and informally as El Nido, or “The Nest”), seats 17,000 fans around a symmetrical field measuring 330 feet down the foul lines and 400 feet to straightaway center. Mexicali hosted the 2009 Caribbean Series, becoming the northernmost city in which the tournament has ever been held.

Mexican Nationals crush Nicaragua, 12-1; qualify for 2017 WBC

Mexico put together two big innings and went on to demolish Nicaragua, 12-1, in Mexicali Sunday to qualify for next year's World Baseball Classic.  The Verde Grande won all three games they played at Estadio B-Air under first-year skipper Edgar Gonzalez, who was named the Mexican Pacific League's Manager of the Year by both BBM and the LMP last month for his work this past winter with the Mexicali Aguilas.

Mexico broke the contest open early with a six-run outburst in the second inning.  Esteban Quiroz opened the gates with a two-run single off Nicaraguan starter Fidencio Flores while Agustin Murillo cleared the bases with a two-out, sacks-loaded triple, converting a 3-and-1 pitch from reliever Carlos Teller into a line drive that got behind center fielder Dwight Britton to cap the scoring for the inning.

Three entradas later, Mexico put another five runs on the board to bring the score to 11-0, an unreachable target for the underpowered Nicaraguans.  Leo Heras and Quiroz had the biggest hits in the fifth: Heras knocked a two-run homer off Teller and Quiroz did the same against the next reliever, Junior Tellez, bracketed around an RBI single from Sebastian Elizalde.  The host team added another run in the bottom of the sixth, courtesy of an Humberto Sosa single that brought in Jose Aguilar.

Nicaragua broke the shutout bid in the top of the seventh when Britton led off with a double off Arturo Barradas, moved to third on a Sandor Guido ground out to second and came in on Elmer Reyes' double to right, putting the score at 12-1.  After Barradas got got Darrel Campbel to fly out to right, Gonzalez brought in Oliver Perez, who induced Wuillians Vasquez to hit an easy fly to center that Perez hauled in to end the game on the ten-run mercy rule, punching Mexico's ticket to their fourth straight World Baseball Classic.

Elizalde, Quiroz and Adrian Gonzalez each hat two hits for Mexico, Quiroz leading the way with four RBI's and two runs scored.  Murillo had just one hit but was still productive at the plate, driving in three with his triple and scoring once.  Hector Daniel Rodriguez pitched the first two innings and was awarded the win as five pitchers took the mound for the winners.

Earlier Sunday in Panama City, Dilson Herrera cracked an eighth-inning solo homer off Manny Corpas to put Colombia ahead for good in a 2-1 qualifier win over Panama.  Colombia will join Australia and Mexico in next year's WBC.  One qualifier remains, to be played at Brooklyn's Cyclone Park in September when Israel, Brazil, Great Britain and Pakistan square off for three days.

Nicaragua holds off Czechs in 11, will play Mexico in Sunday WBCQ final

In perhaps the most thrilling game in the Mexicali World Baseball Classic qualifiers, Nicaragua scored three runs in the top of the eleventh inning and barely held off the Czech Republic, 7-6, Saturday night in Mexicali. The game lasted over four hours with plenty of ups and downs for both sides at Estadio B-Air.

The Czechs jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Jakub Malik homered off Berman Espinoza to straightaway center field with two runners on base.  The teams then swapped zeroes into the top of the fifth, when Nicaragua scored twice with two out when Darrel Campbell came in on Jairo Beras' tapper back to the mound and Wuillians Vasquez came in on third baseman Premek Chroust to pull to within one.

The Czechs got one back in the bottom of the fifth after Jakub Hajtmar scored on a Mike Cervenak fielder's choice grounder to short to boost their advantage to 4-2 before the Nicaraguans came back to knot the score in the eighth.  With two out, Melvin Novoa hit a grounder to Czech shortstop Petr Zyma, who then made an errant throw to allow Dwight Britton to score while Novoa advanced to second base.  Renato Morales' ground-ball single beyond the glove of Zyma into left field sent Novoa motoring in from second to plate the tying run.

The two teams carried the 4-4 game into the top of the eleventh, when Nicaragua pushed across three counters.  Ofilio Castro broke the deadlock by scoring from third on a Morales sacrifice fly to center.  Later in the frame, Omar Obregon's single up the middle brought in Britton and Janior Montes to give the Central Americans a 7-4 lead.

The Czechs refused to die, however, loading the bases with nobody out for Tomas Polansky's run-scoring walk to close the gap to 7-5.  Zyma then hit a tailor-made doubleplay grounder off reliever Jose Saenz to short, where Obregon bobbled the ball before flipping it to second for one out but too late for the relay to beat Zyma to first as Malik came in from third, bringing the Czechs to within one run with runners at the corners.  Saenz then bore down and struck out Tomas Junec and Petr Sila, both on swings, to close out the win and earn the save.  Jonathan Loaisiga was awarded the win despite allowing the final two Czech runs in the final inning while Martin Schneider was tagged with the loss after coughing up all three Nicaraguan scores in the eleventh.

Nicaragua will take on Mexico Sunday at 7 PM PDT in the final, with the winner qualifying for next year's World Baseball Classic, an event Mexico has never missed since its inception in 2006.  Verde Grande manager Edgar Gonzalez has announced he'll send Caribbean Series hero Hector Daniel Rodriguez to the mound in Mexicali.  Mexico beat Nicaragua,

Elsewhere in WBC qualifier action, Panama overcame a three-run deficit to beat France going away, 7-4, Saturday to advance to Sunday's final against Colombia in Panama City.

Mexico crushes Nicaragua, 11-0, clinches WBC Qualifier final berth

Stephen Landazuri pitched four innings of one-hit shutout ball while Adrian Gonzalez scored twice and drove in another run as Mexico demolished Nicaragua, 11-0, in seven innings Friday night in Mexicali's Estadio B-Air.

The host team scored two runs each in the first and second innings, picked up five in the fourth and added two more tallies in the bottom of the sixth, triggering the WBC's ten-run mercy rule by giving Nicaragua one more opportunity in the top of the seventh before closing the book on the game.  Landazuri, who is 25-30 with a 4.62 ERA after six years in the Mariners system, was lights-out for Mexico.  The 24-year-old righty threw 30 strikes on 49 pitches and Jairo Beras' leadoff single in the fourth was the only safety Landazuri allowed, though he plunked a batter in each of the first three innings, so his control wasn't quite pinpoint.

Mexico scored the only run they'd need in the bottom of the first when, with the bases loaded, Nicaraguan first baseman made a throwing error on a Sebastian Elizalde grounder to plate Jose Aguilar from third with the only marker the Verde Grande would need.  One out later, Agustin Murillo's seeing-eye single to left brought in Gonzalez with his first plate-crossing of the night.

Mexico pushed two more across in the second.  Gonzalez' bases-loaded, two-out groundout allowed Alex Mejia to score.  Then pitcher Kevin Gadea uncorked a wild pitch to Jose Amador, giving the green light for Juan Perez to motor in from third to make it a 9-0 game.

Things got out of hand after Mexico scored five times in the fourth, with two coming in after Beras badly misplayed a Murillo fly ball, allowing both Gonzalez and Elizalde to score while Murillo ended up safe at second.  In the sixth, Murillo doubled in Walter Ibarra for one run while Leo Heras came in on a passed ball for another to cap the night's scoring.

Much of the damage to Nicaragua was self-inflicted with three errors, seven walks, two wild pitches and two hit batsmen to total five unearned runs as the Mexicans scored 11 times on just five hits.  Reliever Osman Gutierrez suffered the most, as three of the four runs that came in during his 2.2 frames were officially "not his fault."  Landazuri got the win and four relievers took part in the combined four-hit whitewash.

With the win, Mexico clinched a berth in Sunday's final.  Nicaragua, who beat Germany Thursday, will have to beat the Czech Republic in a loser-out game Saturday.  The Czechs handed the Flying Deutschmen their second straight loss, 15-3, Friday afternoon in eight innings as the mercy rule was invoked.  Catcher Martin Cervenka crashed a grand slam and ended the day with five ribbies.

In Panama City, Colombia clinched a spot in Sunday's final by beating host Panama, 6-3, and France knocked out Spain, 5-3.  Panama and France meet in Saturday's loser-out game.

Mexico survives Czechs, 2-1, at WBC qualifier

Mexico plated two runs in the bottom of the first inning and the pitching made them hold as the hosts topped the Czech Republic, 2-1, Thursday night at the World Baseball Classic qualifying tournament in Mexicali.  The contest was much closer than expected, as the plucky Czechs held the Mexicans to just four hits on a night that put pitching under the spotlight on a patchy Estadio B-Air playing field.

After Alejandro Soto opened the game by striking out the first three Czech batters (all swinging), Esteban Quiroz and Adrian Gonzalez drew consecutive one-out walks off starter Marek Cervenka in the bottom of the frame.  Jesse Castillo singled up the middle to bring in Quiroz from second and move Gonzalez to third.  Agustin Murillo lofted a sacrifice fly to left that Gonzalez scored on to make it a 2-0 game.  Leo Heras then singled to put Murillo in scoring position but Erick Rodriguez popped out to second to end the threat.

From that point, the two sides traded zeroes into the eighth inning.  Working on a WBC-imposed pitch count limit, Soto gave up just one walk and no hits in three entradas for Mexico, striking out seven.  Mark Serrano replaced Soto and while not quite as lights-out, Serrano tossed three more scoreless innings, allowing three hits and a walk.  For his part, Cervanek settled down to blank the Mexicans in the second and third before giving way to Jan Novak, who tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless ball when he reached HIS pitch limit in the seventh.

Mexico loaded the bases with two out in that stanza but Castillo skied out to left to end the rally without a score.  Jake Sanchez came in from the bullpen to pitch the top of the eighth and gave up a homer to Matej Hema, who lofted a fly to right center that kept carrying until it plopped onto a walkway just beyond the railing atop the wall, bringing the score to 2-1.  After being set down in order in the bottom of the eighth Mexican manager Edgar Gonzalez sent out 34-year-old Oliver Perez to nail down the save in the ninth. Perez, who has been in camp with the Nationals this spring, delivered by turning in a 1-2-3 performance on just nine pitches to seal the deal for the Verdes.

In Thursday afternoon's qualifier opener, Reds prospect Alex Blandino's walkoff double in the bottom of the tenth inning gave Nicaragua a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Germany.  With runners on first and second, Blandino rapped an Enorbel Marquez delivery into deep center field just beyond the glove of Dominique Taylor.  Both runners came in to score with Rangers farmhand coming in from first barely under the tag of German catcher Bruce Maxwell with the winning run.

On Friday, the Czech Republic will take on Germany at 12:30PM PDT while Mexico battles Nicaragua in the 7:30PM PDT nightcap at La Nida.

Elsewhere, Panama topped France, 9-2, and Colombia bopped Spain, also by 9-2, in the other WBC qualifier going on this week in Panama City.