PAREDES SENT TO HERMOSILLO IN 4-PLAYER SWAP

Infielder Isaac Paredes dealt to Hermosillo

    Isaac Paredes is going home. With the first half of the Mexican Pacific League's 2022-23 season winding down, Mexicali and Hermosillo swung a big trade on Sunday with the Aguilas sending infielder Paredes, a Hermosillo native, to the first-place Naranjeros in exchange for three LMP veterans: outfielder Norberto Obeso, shortstop Walter Ibarra and lefty pitcher Marcelo Martinez.

    Paredes, 23, hit .205 with 20 homers with 45 RBIs while playing four positions over 111 games for the Tampa Bay Rays last summer. This is his sixth winter in the Mex Pac, where he's batted .304 with 15 homers and an even 100 RBIs for Obregon, Mazatlan and Mexicali. The 5'11 213-pounder has performed for the Naranjeros twice as a January playoff reinforcement and played for Mazatlan in the Caribbean Series two years ago. A former Cubs and Tigers prospect before arriving in Tampa Bay this season, Paredes was traded to Mexicali by the Venados last February in exchange for the rights to shortstop Daniel Castro and outfielder Fabricio Macias. Capable of playing three infield positions, Paredes seems to be best suited for third base to complete an infield with Jasson Atondo at shortstop, Jose Luis Cruz at second and Roberto Ramos at first.

    While Mexicali had to give up a top LMP player in Paredes, they'll add depth to their roster. Obeso has played eight seasons for Hermosillo in the LMP but used sparingly this winter, playing in only 12 of 28 Orangemen contests in 2022-23 and hitting just .167 for manager Juan Castro. Obeso's lifetime LMP numbers are much better: a .289 average with 209 hits and 79 RBIs in 219 games.The 27-year-old former Jays prospect can play all three outfield positions and hit .316 for Yucatan's Mexican League champs this year.

    Ibarra is a 14-year veteran of the winterball wars who spent four seasons in Mexicali between 2014 and 2018. The 35-year-old spent eight summers in the Yankees system and can play shortstop or second base with experience in the corners. Like Obeso, Ibarra struggled at the plate for Hermosillo this season (.191 in 13 games) but his career numbers of .247 with 72 doubles and 23 homers in 546 games are much better and he's been a .290 batter in seven Mexican League seasons, batting .257 for Yucatan this summer.

    The 26-year-old Martinez is a bit of an X factor for Aguilas manager Gil Velazquez. A Reynosa product, Martinez has pitched four years in the Kansas City organization, including two stints with AAA Omaha, primarily as a starter. His 24-26 record in the Royals system is so-so and his 4.68 ERA is nothing to write home about, but 440 strikeouts in 421.1 innings can't be ignored. Martinez has been a middle reliever in Mex Pac play, going 3-8 with a 2.29 ERA in 65 trips from the bullpen over six years for the Naranjeros.

    Hermosillo was doing well enough before trading for Paredes and currently lead the Mex Pac standings with an 18-11 record, one game ahead of 17-12 Guasave and two up on Los Mochis and Mazatlan at 16-13 each. Navojoa is fifth with a 15-14 ledger, one game ahead of 14-15 Mexicali, where impatient owner Dio Alberto Murillo may be ready to jettison manager Velazquez during the season for a second time. Obregon and Culiacan are tied for seventh at 13-16, defending champion Jalisco (12-17) is in ninth and Monterrey is 11-18 in last place in the ten-team loop.

    Los Mochis outfielder Yosmany Tomas continues to lead LMP batters with a .358 average, ahead of Roel Santos of Hermosillo (.354) and Monterrey's Roberto Valenzuela (.337). Mexicali's Anthony Giansanti homered against Culiacan last Wednesday to bring his season total to eight, two more than Sebastian Valle of Obregon. Four players are tied for third with five roundtrippers each. Christian Villanueva of Jalisco tops te RBI charts with 23 in 28 games; Obregon's Yadir Drake is second with 21 ribbies while Tomas and Niko Vasquez (Mexicali) are tied for third with 20 apiece. Hermosillo's Jose Cardona (14), Randy Romero of Mazatlan (11) and Santos (10) are the Mex Pac's top three basestealers thus far.

    Among pitchers, three starters are tied for the wins lead with four victories each: Jeff Kinley (Guasave), Juan Pablo Oramas (Hermosillo) and Juan Tellez (Mazatlan), the latter showing a 4-2 record for the Venados despite a 4.74 ERA. In that category, Los Mochis' Luis Miranda continues with a perfect 0.00 after five starts and 27 scoreless innings. Nico Tellache of Guasave is second at 1.45 while Oramas is third with a 1.67 ERA. Three hurlers are tied for the lead with 34 strikeouts: Arturo Lopez (Obregon), Matt Pobereyko (Guasave) and Touki Toussaint (Hermosillo), whose 34 K's have come in just 27 entradas. Arizona's first-round pick in the 2016 draft, Toussaint went 1-1 in eight outings for the Los Angeles Angels this summer. The saves co-leaders are Brandon Koch of Guasave and Mazatlan's Elkin Alcala with 10 each. Jake Sanchez of Mexali is third with eight salvados.

    With one week remaining in the first-half battle for playoff points, Hermosillo will try to hold onto first place (and the 10.0 points that accompany it) by taking on Culiacan in a three-game midweek road series before hosting Los Mochis next weekend. Second-place Guasave will be in Mexicali for games Tuesday through Thursday before welcoming Navojoa in a three-game set Friday through Sunday.


SALON DE LA FAMA HOLDS INDUCTION CEREMONY

Mexico president Lopez Obrador at SDF in 2019

    After a wait of two years, the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey held an induction ceremony last Friday night during which seven new members were enshrined in the hall of the immortals. Each had been voted in as members in 2020 but there were no ceremonies held last year due to ongoing Wuhan virus concerns.

    Among those in attendance were Mexico City Diablos and Oaxaca Guerreros owner Alfredo Harp Helu, who bankrolled construction of the facility in 2019 after the Salon and its contents were kept in storage for seven years when the Cuauhtemoc Brewery closed the former facility that had served as home from 1973 to 2012. One of Mexico's richest men, Harp is also president of the Mexican Baseball Hall of Fame Association

    Salon director Francisco Padilla Dávila, director of the Hall of Fame, gave a welcome message and the president of the Electoral Committee, Antonio de Valdés, gave a few words to the public and those enthroned. Before beginning with the awards ceremony, Agustín Castillo, who served as master of ceremonies, mentioned how the process of choosing immortals works. De Valdés then began with the delivery of SDF jerseys, rings and plaques.

    Here are profiles of the seven Salon de la Fama inductees from Friday night:

MATIAS CARRILLO
    Carrillo was born on February 24, 1963 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, this remarkable hitter played 22 years in the Mexican League, beginning with his Rookie of the Year season in 1982 for Poza Rica. “El Coyote” played for the Tigres in Mexico City and Puebla from 1984 until the end of his career, playing 2,110 games with 2,531 hits for a .336 average (including 330 homers and 420 doubles), 1,535 runs scored, 1,554 RBIs and 276 stolen bases. He won home run and RBI titles in 1993 with 38 and 125, respectively, as well as the batting title in 1996 with a .368 mark, led in stolen bases in 1984 with 30 and hits in 1999 with 175.

VINICIO “VINNY” CASTILLA
    Born on July 4, 1967 in Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Castilla spent three seasons in the Mexican League with Saltillo and Monclova before becoming a Major League star, playing with six teams and reaching his peak in the 1990's with the Colorado Rockies. The formidable third baseman occupies a very special place among Mexican-born MLB players after hitting 320 homers in 16 seasons. In 1,854 games, he batted .296 (topping .300 five times) with 1,884 hits, 902 runs, 349 doubles and 1,105 RBIs. while earning Silver Slugger Awards in 1995, 1997 and 1998.

ISIDRO MARQUEZ
    Born May 15, 1965 in Navojoa, Sonora, Marquez is the king of Mexican baseball relievers after playing for eight teams over 22 seasons in the LMB. He participated in 850 games, achieving a 97-78 (.554) record with a 3.44 ERA and 301 saves, the Liga record. He made an important name for his serenity on the mound and his ability to come out ahead in the climactic moments of matches. He was the saves leader in 1997 with the Tigres (30) and in 2005 with Campeche (25). Marquez pitched seven games in relief for the Chicago White Sox in 1995, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.

JOSE LUIS SANDOVAL
    Born on August 25, 1968 in Los Mochis, Sinaloa, Sandoval shone defensively at shortstop but also was an impactful batter. He played 22 seasons with the Mxco City Diablos Rojos and one with Saltillo. In a record 2,219 games, “El Borrego” collected 2,263 hits, 435 doubles, 253 homers, 1,171 runs, 1,315 RBIs and a .293 batting average. A charismatic player, he soon became the great idol of the capital's fans. Sandoval holds several defensive records for shortstops, including most double plays ever for a shortstop with 1,731 and most double plays in a season with 128 twin-killings.

EDUARDO JIMENEZ
    Jimenez was born September 4, 1964 in Tijuana, BC and went on to become a notable outfielder and designated hitter. He played 21 years in the LMB with eight teams, taking part in 1,795 games an racking up 1,758 hits (including 351 homers and 297 doubles) for a career average of .301. Along the way he scored 1,142 runs and drove in 1,285 more.Jimenez was home run champion with Saltillo in 2000 and holds the record for the most times hitting two longballs in a single game seven times that same year. In addition, he ranks fifth in all-time home runs with 351 roundtrippers.

BONNIE “EL GRILLO” SERRELL
    Born March 9, 1922 in Dallas, Texas, Serrell played second base alongside Jackie Robinson with the Kansas City Monarchs before spending spent 10 seasons with five teams over two stints in the Mexican League from 1945-48 and 1952-57. The lefty batter joined the Tampico in 1945 with Tampico and helped win two pennants there, then was a big factor for Nuevo Laredo's champs in 1953 and 1954. He averaged .311 over his Liga career with 560 runs scored, 1,099 hits, 173 doubles, 66 triples, 44 home runs, 517 RBI, 90 stolen bases and posted six years over .300. Magnificent in the field as well.

JORGE MENENDEZ TORRE
    Born December 24, 1938 in Mérida, Yucatán, Menendez was one of the best journalists of his day. His career began in 1960 with the Yucatán Diario, where he was until 1968 when he founded the sports weekly La Crónica. He later wrote for Juzgue, Excelsior, Heraldo de México, Ovaciones, Sport Illustrated, Hit, and SuperHit magazines, as well as The Sporting News. He won four Writer of the Year awards from the Salon de la Fama and one Fray Nano National Award in 2000. In his last years, Menendez wrote in Mundo al Día and Novedades de Yucatán before dying in 2013 at age 74.

MEXICAN LEAGUE ADDS 19TH TEAM IN QUERETARO
 

   The Mexican League has awarded a nineteenth franchise to the state of Queretaro, contingent on construction of a new baseball stadium there. According to sources, a new facility will cost an estimated 400 to 500 million pesos (US$20.5-35.6 million) and be built with private funding. The team will be nicknamed the Conspiradores, or “Conspirators.”

    LMB president Horacio de la Vegas was present at the announcement and said, “It is a historic day, very important for baseball in our country. Baseball has grown significantly. We have had an important streak of growth.” De la Vega added that Liga income grew by nearly 1,000 percent from 2019 to 2022, leaguewide attendance went up from 1.9 million spectators in 2019 to 4.3 million this year and that the LMB had 24 television contracts with distribution in more than 20 countries in 2022 reaching more than 60 million viewers.

    The proposed ballpark is expected to be located between five and ten minutes from Queretaro International Airport, according to Conspiradores owner Francisco Orozco. The first stone for the 6,000-seat facility (which will include 144 private boxes, will be laid in January with completion due in March 2024. Orozco said advanced negotiations are underway the the property near Queretaro City in El Marquez.

    The state of Queretaro is located in in north central Mexico and lies north of Mexico City, south of San Luis Potosi and east of Guanajuato. One of the smallest states in the country, Queretaro is home to 2.4 million residents, 1.6 million in metropolitan Queretaro City, the state capital. The climate is relatively mild, with average high temperatures in the low to mid 80's during baeball season and annual rainfall of about 20 inches. Queretaro City is one of Mexico's fastest-growing and has become an industrial center with a per capita income of US$20,000, second only to Monterrey. The Conspiradores will be the city's first professional baseball club.

    Team director Gerardo Quezada expressed his belief that the Conspiradores will be a competitive team from the start. “This is a historic day: a franchise is born in the Mexican Baseball League,” he declared. “Baseball is a family sport. We will lead Querétaro to triumphs and victories in the future.”

    It's estimated that 60 to 70 percent of Queretaro's players in 2024 will be supplied by the 18 current LMB teams, with the remainder coming through other channels like free agency.

    A twentieth Mexican League franchise for 2024 is expected to be formally announced soon.

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.

CULIACAN, HERMOSILLO TIED 1-1 IN LMP TITLE SET

Hermosillo LHP Ryan Verdugo

   After winning their respective semifinal series, the Culiacan Tomateros and Hermosillo Naranjeros split the first two games of the Mexican Pacific League championship series last weekend at Estadio Sonora in Hermosillo. Game Four through Six are set for this week in Culiacan, beginning Monday night.

    Hermosillo opened the title series last Friday with a 2-1 knucklebiter win as Ryan Verdugo outdueled J.C. Ramirez in a battle of past and future Chinese Professional Baseball League pitchers. Verdugo pitched the CPBL's first perfect game for the Uni-President Lions in 2018 while Ramirez is slated to join Mexican hurler Manny Banuelos with the Fubon Guardians this summer.

    For his part in this matchup, Verdugo tossed seven scoreless innings and scattered five hits. His Orangemen teammates staked him all the runs he'd need with two in the bottom of the first frame. Norberto Obeso opened with a single, moved to second on a Jose Cardona sacrifice fly and scored on Yadiel Hernandez' double. Hernandez then took third on an Isaac Paredes single and plated another run on Victor Mendoza's slow-rolling infield single to second.

    Ramirez, a somewhat surprising Game One starter after struggling in the postseason, settled down to pitch five scoreless innings through the sixth but the Tomateros had no luck against either Verdugo or reliever Robinson Leyer. Culiacan put a run on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth when Joey Meneses doubled off LMP Reliever of the Year Fernando Salas and Efren Navarro singled him, but Salas held the fort the rest of the way for the save. Obeso finished the night with two of Hermosillo's eight hits while seven different batsmen had one hit apiece for the visitors.

    Culiacan came back Saturday night by pulling away with a 6-1 win over the Naranjeros to tie the series at a game apiece. Game Two started out as another pitching duel, this time between the Tomateros' Anthony Vasquez and Hermosillo's Juan Pablo Oramas, the Mex Pac's Pitcher of the Year. The Orangemen opened the scoring in the bottom of the third when Obeso bounced into a groundout to second, plating Jasson Atondo from third, but Culiacan knotted the contest up at 1-1 in the top of the fifth when Navarro launched a high fly off Oramas that cleared the right field fence. That would be the only run Oramas allowed and he left the game after six innings having given up two hits and striking out eight.

Culiacan LHP Anthony Vasquez

    Vasquez held up his end by letting in the single run in the third before exiting with one out in the seventh. By then, however, the Tomateros had given him a 3-1 lead in the top of the inning when MVP Sebastian Elizalde homered to right center off reliever Marcelo Martinez, who also gave up a run-scoring single to Alexis Wilson. Then, Yoelkis Guibert's two-run bomb against another reliever (Heriberto Ruelas) keyed a three-run eighth to give the defending champs a 6-1 advantage that stayed firm when Sasagi Sanchez and Alberto Baldonado held the Naranjeros scoreless the rest of the way to close out the win. Elizalde added an RBI single in the eighth to finish the night with two hits and two ribbies for Culiacan. Veteran Luis Alfonso Cruz, an ex-MLB and NPB infielder who turns 37 next month, went 3-for-4 with a double and triple for the Naranjeros but produced no runs.

    Game Three is slated for Monday night in Culiacan's Estadio Tomateros at 7:00PM local time. Cesar Vargas will be on the mound for Hermosillo while Edgar Arredondo gets the start for the Tomateros.

    Culiacan reached the finals by defeating Obregon, 4 games to 2, in one of the semifinals. That series ended last Tuesday with a 3-0 shutout at Estadio Yaquis in Obregon as Arredondo tossed six innings of scoreless ball, allowing five hits and striking out four Yaquis batters. Arredondo had finalized a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks one day earlier.

    Hermosillo punched their ticket to the championship series by topping Monterrey, 6-3, also last Tuesday. The Naranjeros' Vargas and Monterrey's Edgar Gonzalez were locked in a 1-1 game through five innings, after which both were pulled by their respective managers. Hermosillo responded to Gonzalez' absence by posting five runs in the sixth inning, thanks in part to Julian Leon's two-run single and a Jasson Atondo RBI double. The Orangemen won the series, 4 games to 2, as every playoff series this winter has been decided in six games.

LMP AWARDS: ELIZALDE NAMED MVP, ROBLES TOP MANAGER

Culiacan OF Sebastian Elizalde

   The Mexican Pacific League has announced the final two winners of its individual awards for the 2020-21 regular season. Culiacan outfielder Sebastian Elizalde topped the closest balloting of the five categories in being named Most Valuable Player while Guasave's Oscar Robles led the balloting for Manager of the Year.

    A product of former LMP franchise site Guaymas, Sonora, Elizalde had a solid year at the plate for the defending champions, batting .282 on 48 hits over 46 games, including 13 doubles and 11 homers, and driving in 45 runs while stealing 12 bases in 18 attempts. He appeared among league leaders in a number of categories, finishing third in RBIs, tying for third in roundtrippers and tying for fourth in steals.

    Elizalde, who broke into winterball with Hermosillo in 2010-11 and spent five seasons with the Naranjeros before being traded to the Tomateros prior to the 2016-17 season, is wrapping up his tenth LMP season playing against his former team in the championship series. He has lifetime marks of .294 with 39 homers and 205 RBIs in 414 Mex Pac games, swiping 62 bases in the process. He's also hit .267 over nine games for Culiacan in the 2018 and 2020 Caribbean Series.

    During the summer, Elizalde has put in six Mexican League seasons (five for Monterrey before being sent to Mexico City in 2019) sandwiched around five years in the Cincinnati system between 2014 and 2018. The 29-year-old was a Reds organizational All-Star pick in 2014 and represented Daytona in the Florida State League All-Star Game one year later. Elizalde was a .277 hitter with 41 homers as a Reds minor leaguer, topping out at AAA Louisville, while his LMB career numbers are .299/58/248 in 679 games.

    Elizalde garnered 30 percent of votes for Mex Pac MVP, beating out Obregon's Sebastian Valle (21%), Japhet Amador of Jalisco (17%), Mazatlan's Isaac Paredes (12%), Yadir Drake of Guasave (11%) and Jalisco's Dariel Alvarez (9%). He becomes the tenth Culiacan player to win the Hector Espino Trophy, the first since Luis Alfonso Cruz did it in 2011-12.

Guasave manager Oscar Robles

    A former Dodgers and Padres infielder, Robles won the Benjamin “Cananea” Reyes Trophy as top manager after leading Guasave to a winning record (31-26) and a third seed in the postseason with 14.0 playoff points, a remarkable achievement with the second-year Algodoneros (who finished 26-37 and out of the playoffs in 2019-20 while finishing last in the loop with a .234 team batting average and 4.44 ERA).

    This winter, the Cottoneers saw their collective BA rise to .286, second in the LMP, while their team ERA of 3.43 was also second and a full run better than in 2019-20. Robles, who was the Mex Pac's Rookie of the Year in 1995-96 as a shortstop with the original Guasave Algodoneros, led his team into the playoffs but fell in six games to Culiacan in the first round.

    A 44-year-old Tijuana native, Robles obtained 36% of the total votes, more than double than Bronswell Patrick (Mexicali), Juan Navarrete (Hermosillo) and Sergio Gastelum (Obregón), who finished with 17% each. Jalisco helmsman Roberto Vizcarra and Gerardo Álvarez of Monterrey obtained 8% and 5% percent, respectively.

    All winners of Mex Pac awards were selected by a nebulously-titled specialized press after the league had told fans that they would be making the picks in online voting. No definition of “specialized press” has been given nor whether fan ballots were even considered in the tabulations.

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT RECOMMENDS OLYMPICS CANCELLATION    

Yokohama Baseball Stadium

    After last summer's Olympic Games in Tokyo were postponed until this year due to the ongoing pandemic, the London Times reports that the Japanese government held a closed-door meeting with top sports officials from that country to recommend outright cancellation of the worldwide event. The Mexican National Baseball Team is slated to take part in the Olympics after qualifying during the WBSC Premier12 tournament last winter.

    However, the International Olympic Committee refuted the Times report in a statement issued last Friday. "Some news reports circulating today are claiming that the government of Japan has privately concluded that the Tokyo Olympics will hae to be canceled because of the coronavirus,” said the IOC. “This is categorically untrue...All parties involved are working together to prepare for a successful Games this summer."

    According to organizers in Tokyo, Japanese prime minister Yoshihide Suga has told them that he's determined to hold the Olympics this July and August as rescheduled and that meetings are ongoing to ensure the Games move forward with strict protocols in place to prevent further outbreaks of the Wuhan virus, which has caused the postponement or outright cancellation of major sporting events across the globe since last spring.

    "All our delivery partners including the national government, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee, the IOC and the IPC are fully focused on hosting the Games this summer," the organizers said. "We hope that daily life can return to normal as soon as possible, and we will continue to make every effort to prepare for a safe and secure Games."

    The pandemic is said to have infected nearly 100 million people worldwide (including nearly 26 million active cases), with over two million deaths, according to Worldometers. Japan is 39th on the site's nation-by-nation list with 356,074 total cases (65,617 active) and 45th with 4,934 deaths. Mexico ranks 13th on the same list with over 1.75 million total cases (297,125 active) and 4th overall with 149,084 deaths.

Mexico manager Juan Gabriel Castro

   Olympics baseball is scheduled to open Wednesday, July 28 in Fukushima's Azuma Stadium and conclude with Bronze and Gold Medal games on Saturday, August 7 at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. Mexico is one of four nations to have already qualified for the six-team field along with South Korea, Israel and host Japan. The remaining two participants will be determined at Americas and Final Qualifiers sometime this year, although dates and venues have yet to be released.

    Should the Olympics proceed as hoped, former MLB infielder Juan Gabriel Castro will manage the Mexican entry. Whether or not baseball is played in Tokyo this summer, Castro has already got his regular job lined up since the Philadelphia Phillies announced he'll be back in 2021 as a member of manager Joe Girardi's coaching staff. A native of Los Mochis, Castro spent 17 years as a player for five teams in the majors before retiring during the 2011 season. He spent time coaching in the Dodgers organization (including two years under Dave Roberts in Los Angeles) and was a coach on Mexico's 2013 World Baseball Classic team for manager Rick Renteria.

    Castro has managed in the Mexican Pacific League for Mexicali and was hired away from the Dodgers to work as sports director for the Mexican League's Tijuana Toros in 2018, but left the team after first being fired, then brought back as a coach but not paid during the month of February and never having his new role (if any) defined by the front office before leaving the team in frustration. Castro was named manager of the Grandes Verde in August 2019 prior the Premier12 tournament and caught on with Philadelphia for 2020. the Phils have given him permission to take a month off for the first time Mexico takes part in Olympics baseball, a sport scheduled to be discontinued in 2024.

MEX PAC TEAMS START OPENING TRAINING CAMPS

Day 3 of Hermosillo Naranjeros training camp

With the scheduled start of the 2020-21 regular season a little over a month away, Mexican Pacific League teams are beginning to open their training camps as players trickle in from across Mexico and elsewhere to start loosening up for their October 15 openers.

The Hermosillo Naranjeros opened camp last Tuesday at Estadio Sonora under new manager Juan Navarrete, a Salon de la Fama member who replaced former MLB star Vinny Castilla at the helm of the Orangmen. After going through preliminary protocols for the Wuhan virus, players broke into groups who worked out under the eye of Navarrete's coaching staff, which includes ex-MLBers Erubiel Durazo, Maximino Leon and Elmer Dessens plus former Mexican League star Cornelio Garcia. Among the players who reported to Hermosillo the first day were veteran pitchers Juan Pablo Oramas and Jose Samayoa, 2018-19 LMP Rookie of the Year infielder Jasson Atondo and outfielder Norberto Obeso, who hit .283 last winter for his hometown Naranjeros after batting .276 over five seasons in the Blue Jays farm system.

Although the Mexicali Aguilas aren't scheduled to open their training camp until this Thursday, three pitchers showed up early for a three-day minicamp over the past weekend. Starters Javier Solano and Eduardo Vera were joined by closer Jake Sanchez. The trio of right-handers performed calisthentics and bullpen sessions under pitching coach Bronswell Patrick after going through virus protocols. They also worked on situation pitching from the mound at La Nida, the Eagles home ballpark.

Mexicali Aguilas P Javier Solano

Solano, a former Dodgers farmhand who physically resembles one-time Detroit hurler Mickey Lolich, is preparing for his eighth winter in Mexicali. The LMP's 2015-16 Pitcher of the Year was only 3-5 last season but otherwise had a strong campaign in the border city, with a Mex Pac-leading 2.23 ERA while tossing the only complete game shutout of the season. The 30-year-old Solano, who spent five seasons with Hermosillo before coming to the Aguilas, has a lifetime 44-30 record and 3.60 in 160 outings over 12 seasons.

Other LMP teams will open their respective camps over the next couple of weeks as various clubs announce their training invitees. Defending champion Culiacan, who'll begin training next Monday at Estadio Tomateros, are requesting the presence of 48 players (28 of them pitchers). Among the invited are infielders Joey Meneses, Efren Navarro, Jose Guadalupe Chavez and Ramiro Pena, all mainstays of last winter's title team, plus newcomer Michael Wing, who was aquired in a trade from Monterrey earlier this summer. Outfielder Sebastian Elizalde will be back, as will pitchers Manny Barreda, Danny Rodriguez, Anthony Vazquez, Aldo Montes and Alberto Baldonado.

The Los Mochis Caneros have likewise announced their 50-player list of camp invitees. Among the more familar names will be third baseman Rudy Amador, infielder Esteban Quiroz, designated hitter Saul Soto, second baseman Isaac Rodriguez (the 2019-20 LMP batting champion), outfielder Leandro Castro and pitchers Andres Avila, who only went 2-6 but whose 2.48 ERA over 10 starts bettered teammate (and LMP Pitcher of the Year) Yoanys Quiala's 2.57. Los Mochis will have a good lineup and pitching staff if everyone comes to play under manager Victor Bojorquez and could be a darkhorse to unseat Culiacan from the throne.

A full slate of five games on Thursday, October 15 will kick off season-opening four-game series: Hermosillo at Navojoa, Mexicali at Obregon, Mazatlan at Los Mochis, Guasave at Culiacan and Jalisco at Monterrey. The Sultanes had earlier announced plans to move their home games to Mazatlan, where they'd have shared Estadio Teodoro Mariscal with the Venados, but have decided to play at home in Estadio Monterrey as usual.

LITTLE LEAGUE HERO MACIAS IN FAILING HEALTH, HELP NEEDED

1957 LLWS hero Angel Macias

Ambidextrous pitcher Angel Macias' 4-0 perfect game win (as a right-hander) for Monterrey over La Mesa, California in the 1957 Little League World Series championship game made the Mexican team the first from outside the United States to win the LLWS title.

It also made an international star of Macias, who was profiled in two subsequent movies, and led to a 13-year professional career in both the Los Angeles Angels farm system and the Mexican League, where he was an outfielder for the Reynosa Broncos and Monterrey Sultanes between 1963 and 1974, when he retired at age 30 after the season. Macias is not a member of the Salon de la Fama in Monterrey despite his heroics and solid professional career, but he was enshrined in Little League Baseball's Hall of Excellence in 2017.

However, Macias (now 76) has been going through difficult times regarding his health due to complications from Alzheimer's Disease, and his family is asking baseball fans around the world for financial assistance.

Monterrey Sultanes owner Jose "Pepe" Maiz was a teammate of Macias' in that historic 1957 run that opened the door for teams and players from Latin America, Asia and Europe to participate in the Little League World Series and often enjoy success (most notably teams from Taiwan that won 17 titles between 1969 and 1996). Maiz explains that Alzheimer's has created extra problems for Macias over the past several months, a sad state for someone who has meant so much to the worldwide growth of Little League Baseball.

"He is the one who most promoted Little League not only at the national level, but at the world level," say Maiz, who presently serves as Mexico's Little League director in addition to his role with the Sultanes. "With his perfect game, Little League Baseball went to the East, with countries like Taiwan, Korea and China, and also to Central and South America." Add to that list Japan, which has won 11 LLWS championships (eight since 1999).

SeptimaEntrada.com says Macias' wife has confirmed that Angel's declining health has forced the family to sell some of their possessions in order to cover his expenses.

During a past interview with Grand Slam's Gaspar Garza Gandara, Macias said he felt no pressure while throwing his perfecto against La Mesa in the championship game (the only time that's happened in a LLWS). "No, no, no, nothing," exclaimed Macias. "It was like a normal game for us. We knew it was an important game but we played it without pressure. We did it and things worked out." Macias struck out 11 batters in six innings.

Macias with display at LLB Hall of Excellence

He added that after recording the final out, the team congregated on the mound to celebrate before heading to the showers because their uniforms were so dirty after not having been washed the whole tournament. Asked if not washing the uniform for 13 games was a team cabal, Macias laughed and said, "Of course it was! It was a cabal!"

Macias said winning the LLWS changed the lives of everyone on the team: "What happened is that in one way or another, the doors were opened everywhere. We had the opportunity to get scholarships in schools. Then we played professional baseball. We had many nice, pleasant things that we enjoyed."

The Aguascalientes-born Macias had mixed opinions regarding the two movies made of the 1957 Monterrey Little League team. He praised the 1960 film, "The Little Giants," saying "The first one is almost 100!" Macias didn't think as highly of "The Perfect Game," which was released in 2010. "It's very different because the approach they gave me didn't seem like me personally. They could've done better than that because it had no impact on people. It went completely unnoticed."

If any Baseball Mexico readers would like to help Angel Macias and his family in a time of needs, an account has been set up for direct deposits at www.SantanderBank.com. The account number is 60-593737105.

FROM TECOS TO TACOS: P OMANA WORKS STAND DURING LMB SHUTDOWN

In the wake of the Mexican League cancelling its 2020 season due to the ongoing pandemic, players and coaches have had to scramble to make up for the lost income until some can perform in the Mexican Pacific League between October and January. Most LMB teams are not paying their players as promised, so people like Dos Laredos Tecolotes pitcher Henry Omana have had to look outside baseball to make ends.

The California-born Omana played two years of college ball at Cal State Fullerton before transferring to Cal Poly Pomona, where the 6'4” right-hander went 6-5 with a 2.48 ERA in 2017. He signed with Monclova of the Mexican League and began his professional career with the Acereros that summer.

The following is a translated feature on Omana from SeptimaEntrada.com:

Henry Omana pitching for Dos Laredos Tecos

He should be on top of the hill pitching for Los Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, but the 'new reality' has him in front of a grill, making tacos in the United States.

Since there is no season in the Mexican League, many players have had to look for different alternatives to be able to support their family, and pitcher Henry Omaña is one of those responsible for 'Tacos Omaña, a taqueria in Greater Los Angeles, California.

This site started in the 1980s and is a business in which Henry and his brothers David and Christian participate. The pitcher has worked at this site since he was young but when he became a professional player, he could only work there when he was not called up to a winter league.

What activities does Henry do at the taqueria? “I work making tacos...I'm a cook. Whatever my brother David (the manager) needs, I do,” he mentioned. "Also, if they need me to go to the store for meat and different things or if they want me in front (at the checkout), I do it. I am a general assistant."

The taqueria belongs to the father, David acts as manager and Christian is in charge of the administration of the place, which began when his grandfather began selling tacos at a swap meet. The business later settled into a place in South El Monte, 15 miles from Los Angeles. They already have two more restaurants on that site.

The roots of the native of San Dimas, California come from Huatabampo, Sonora with his father Henry, and from Jalisco with mother Yolanda.

These origins favor the taqueria, offering a variety of ingredients and dishes such as a green chili plate, roast beef donkeys, the 'taco perrón', as well as the inevitable shepherd, chicharrón, red chili, tripe, crop and head. “In Pomona there are many taquerías nearby but people like to come with us for the green chili plate and the salsa," answered Henry when questioned how the business is doing in that town. "My brother makes a very good sauce and I think that people come to us more."

Omana making tacos at his family's stand

Although at this moment there is no professional baseball and he is focused on the taqueria, Omaña remains in the practice of baseball, training young people with sessions in batting cages, infields and various exercises. 2020 was to be his fourth season in the Mexican League, in which he arrived in 2017 with the Monclova Acereros before migrating to the Puebla Pericos the following year. It was in the final part of the 2019 campaign that he wore the colors of the Tecolotes. Before coming to Dos Laredos, he had three victories with the Sonoma Stompers of the independent Pacific Association.

"I have three years in this League (LMB) and in 2017 I threw well. I was getting outs with my curve but in 2018 I had problems trowing strikes, I had a bit of a problem pitching in Puebla," he commented on his first stay in Mexico. Meanwhile, Henry assured that he will have patience in all the coming months and that he will continue preparing because he has his sights set on returning to the LMB with the Tecolotes in 2021.