Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta: Day Three Report

After sitting in the press box at Kino Stadium through four games over the first two nights of play at the Mexican Baseball Fiesta, I decided to write tonight’s entry while sitting in the stands.  My on-field focus has taken my attention away from what makes the MBF an “event” rather than just another set of ballgames and it’s the event that drew me to travel from Portland to Tucson in the first place.  So rather than bring you the dry summaries you’ve been getting so far, I’m hoping to convey more of the atmosphere here in Tucson at the expense of tracking runs, hits and errors (although I’ll throw in some random observations of play and players).  Right now I’m sitting in a section on the third base side of the upper level of Kino Stadium extending out from either side of the press box.  What follows will be spontaneous bursts of no particular train of thought:

It’s 5:35PM, the first game pitting Los Mochis against defending Mexican Pacific League champion Mexicali has just gotten underway and already the crowd is larger than either of the first two nights.  I think the crowd tonight is going to be...WHOA!  I just had a foul tip rattle around among the shading right above my head before spitting out to the concourse below.  One wrong bounce and this report is finished, as is the Chromebook I’m writing it on.  

C.J. Retherford is batting for Mexicali with the bases loaded and nobody out in the bottom of the first. He’s become a year-round player in Mexico and I’ve noticed him playing with his very young son on the field during warmups all three nights, a charming sight you’d never see prior to a major league game but things are different in Mexican baseball.  Apparently they take the phrase “family-friendly” to heart. C.J.’s son didn’t come close to catching one of the tosses that I witnessed, but he has plenty of time to learn.  Despite the threat, the Aguilas failed to score before being retired.

At about a quarter after 6  with the sun going and an accompanying breeze, we’re settling into what should be a pleasant evening for some baseball.  Temperatures have reached the mid to upper 90’s every day since I arrived Wednesday night, something I rarely see at home midway between Seattle and Portland, but the low humidity has kept it from being bothersome.  The old saw, “It’s a DRY heat” is really true in Tucson.  

How’s this for prescience?  The first game is now in the bottom of the third (they’ve been playing seven) and Retherford just broke up a scoreless tie by smoking a double against Mochis starter Roy Merritt off a chain link fence atop the 8-foot high wall in the left field corner, driving in Walter Ibarra from third to put Mexicali up, 1-0.  Merritt was able to escape the inning without further damage.

Top of the fourth now and the Caneros have tied the game.  Ramon Urias, whose brother Luis is a top shortstop prospect in the Padres system, took first after being hit by a Sergio Mitre pitch and then flew around the bases on a Mitchell Walding double.  Urias had a terrific summer at shortstop for Mexico City was Baseball Mexico’s Summer 2017 MVP.  Tough choice this year but the kid kept the Diablos in the playoff race.  He doesn’t look big enough to hit 19 homers in a season but neither does Jose Altuve and the ball DOES tend to carry well in Mexico City’s 7,382-foot elevation.

People continue to file in to Kino Stadium, likely for the Hermosillo-Obregon nightcap (although a live performance by popular Mexican musical artist Freddy Vegas is no doubt at least an added draw).  Looking above and beyond the berm in right field, I can see a long string of cars making their way to the Kino parking lot.  Yep, it’ll definitely be the biggest crowd of the three nights I’ve been here. I’d guess there are upwards of three thousand people in the stands already.  Not impressive at first blush until the independent  Tucson Saguaros’ average attendance of 279 for three Pecos League playoff games earlier this year adds a sense of perspective.  

Top of the fifth with the score still tied, 1-1.  Mexicali manager Roberto Vizcarra has replaced ex-Yankee Sergio Mitre, who allowed one run on two hits in four innings, with Nicolas Heredia, who gives up a leadoff single to left by hulking Mochis veteran Saul Soto.  Soto is one of those guys who always hits well north of .300 with power, and it was a measure of respect in the summer of 2016 when he was named player-manager in Aguascalientes late in the season.  He did a credible job with the Rieleros before returning to player-only status after Homar Rojas was brought in and led the Railroaders to a fourth-place finish in the Mexican League’s North Division this year.

What had been a quickly-played game started dragging a bit, what with all the Caneros baserunners circling the sacks for three runs in the fourth and another three in the fifth to take a commanding 7-1 lead.  Mexicali has had six hits of their own but only that one run in the third to show for them.  Merritt pitched through the sixth, although I can make out some soft-tossing going on behind some signs obscuring the Caneros bullpen behind the left field fence and suspect skipper Luis Sojo will make a change for the seventh.

And so Sojo did, bringing in Lenix Osuna to close out the win for Merritt.  After getting the first two outs, Osuna ran into trouble and allowed a pair of last-gasp Aguilas runs to narrow the Caneros lead to 7-3 before inducing Retherford to ground out with runners at the corners to end both the surge and game.

Not having eaten for hours, I went down to the concourse for some late (8:00PM) dinner.  This weekend the house specialty is Mexican food and although there were several tempting items to choose from, I bought a bean-and-cheese burrito.  Along with concerns about eating something that would put me in a state of discomfort at 2 tomorrow morning, I’ve been a gringo pollo when it comes to spicy food ever since I bought a two-star item at a Thai restaurant near Seattle years ago that delivered a five-alarm fire with every bite.  I never DID taste the dish.  The mediocre-tasting burrito cost US$7.25, proving that you’ll overspend for ballpark food pretty much anywhere in any language.

Back at my perch next to the suites in time for introductions of players and coaches as well as the singing of both Mexican and USA national anthems by a lovely young lady.  At the end of the Mexican anthem (which itself is a longish but lovely song), I heard a male voice in the crowd shout “Viva Mexico!” followed by a loud cheer from the stands.  Loved it.

Just moments away from the first pitch of the nightcap and the stands are well over half-full.  It seems definitely a pro-Hermosillo gathering, if the number of cheers accompanying the on-field announcer’s mention of the Naranjeros as one of the two teams is any indication.  Lots of orange shirts and replica jerseys to be seen.  It reminded me of my first visit to Lambeau Field in Green Bay (I’m a lifetime Packers fan) for a night game, when I saw a large number of orange jackets in the stands.  Puzzled because the Packers colors are green and gold, I asked a local about the orange.  “Hunting vests,” he replied.

Not to be outdone, Obregon fans in attendance had their chance to roar approval on the second pitch of the game when former Orioles outfielder Felix Pie launched a delivery from Naranjeros starter Jose Samayoa to near the top of the berm in right-center field to stake the Yaquis a quick 1-0 lead.  Hermosillo came right back with the tying run in the bottom of the first when Domonic Brown ripped a run-scoring double to the wall in right-center to send speedy Jason Bourgeois flying in from first.  The Naranjeros then took the lead in the bottom of the second on a two-run double by Roberto Ramos and added another one later in the inning to go up 4-1, but Obregon’s Alex Liddi erased it with a three-run bomb into the left field bullpen in the top of the third to tie things up and the Yaquis pushed two more runs across to grab the lead back at 6-4.

As in the States, mascots play a large role in Mexican baseball, perhaps even more than their Yanqui counterparts.  Two of the MexPac’s most-popular mascots, Hermosillo’s Beto Coyote and Tigre Chaco of Obregon, are on hand and started working the crowd early.  As I type this, Chaco is dancing in the third-base coach’s box as the Yaqui partisans chant in unison from the stands.  Whatever the cause, the fairly reserved crowd in the opening game has been taken over by a boisterous gathering of what appears to be at least 5,000 aficionados in the stands for this one.

It’s now the top of the fifth with the Yaquis lead cut to 6-5 and Barbaro Canizares batting for Obregon.  Canizares is an interesting case.  A Cuban exile who’d been a teammate of Kendrys Morales with the Havana Industriales, Canizares defected with two other players in early 2004 after receiving a lifetime suspension from Cuban baseball for selling his jersey to a member of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.  After a few seasons in the Braves system (including a five-game cup of coffee with Atlanta in 2009), Canizares spent time with both the Yaquis and in Oaxaca of the Mexican League, batting .396, .438 and .378 for the Guerreros between 2011 and 2013 before going to Japan.  He only played 38 games in three injury-plagued years with the Softbank Hawks and returned to the LMB this summer, but was cut by both Veracruz and Quintana Roo after hitting .244 in 34 games, ending up in the Liga Norte.  Approaching his 38th birthday, the 6’3” first baseman is trying desperately to regain some of his old magic and found some in his bright red bat by blooping an RBI single in center to stretch Obregon’s lead to 7-5..

Well, here’s something you don’t always see at a ballpark: A guy just came out onto the field behind home plate and proposed to his girlfriend on the mic (in English and with the gentle prodding of Chaco the mascot).  She said yes, thankfully for the guy.

Music is as ever-present at Mexican ballgames as it is in the USA and this weekend has been no different.  As might be expected, nearly all the songs pumped out over the PA system between innings and during at-bats is from south of the border and greatly add to the atmosphere.  There were mariachi bands playing close enough to the action to conspire with the loudspeaker music to create a bit of a cacophony at times the past two nights, but I can hear strains of live music (Freddy Vega?) emanating from the parking lot without battling the PA system for decibel supremacy.  Good move, although it looks like some of the crowd is heading toward the parking lot for some dancing.  Beisbol con salsa!

While the stands were mostly full three hours ago, they’re gradually emptying with almost as many cars streaming out of the parking lot as were coming in earlier as the clock atop the left field scoreboard approaches 11:00.  The number of people occupying the berms is far fewer.  The gathering on the left-field foul territory berm appears to be mostly adults, but the outfield berms are the domain of kids.  The  right-field berm seems especially popular with the younger set, particularly for rolling down the slope on their sides toward the back of the outfield wall.  Sliding on their, uhh, backsides is another favorite, sort of like sledding without either a sled or snow.  It’s been a while, but I remember that as a kid, we made things like that work whether we had the proper accoutrements or not.  The younger you are, the more expansive your imagination.

Well, this one is finally in the books, with Obregon taking an 9-6 win as the final out was recorded at 11:46.  It’s been a long night at the ballpark, but a good one.  I’d been in a down mood all day, wondering whether what I’ve been doing with this blog (and Viva Beisbol before it) all these years has made the slightest bit of difference.  That’s still as debatable as it was this morning and something I’ll have to confront after I get home, but my blue funk has lifted significantly and these games have been the difference.  If the goal of baseball promoters is to surround a ballgame with a party, MBF organizer Mike Feder and the great, friendly ballpark staff have succeeded.  Well played.

Now it’s back to my room at the Quality Inn for a late-night discussion with that burrito.

Toros eliminate Aguascalientes; division championships next

Tijuana outfielder Dustin Martin

Dustin Martin singled in Chris Valencia with the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth inning and closer Jason Urquidez held Aguascalientes scoreless in the ninth, striking out the final two Rieleros batsmen, as the Tijuana Toros scored a 4-3 comeback win over the Railroaders Sunday night in front of 17,608 fans in the border city.

The victory gives the Toros a 4-games-to-2 first round playoff series win over Aguascalientes and a ticket to the Mexican League North Division championship series against Monterrey.  Yucatan and defending champs Puebla will square off in the LMB South championship set.  Both series will open Thursday night.

TIJUANA 4-10-1, Aguascalientes 3-8-1
W-Sandoval (1-0).  L-Merritt (0-1).  Sv-Urquidez (3).  A-17,608.  T-3:02.

Aguascalientes took an early 2-0 lead by scoring single runs in the first and second innings against Toros starter Miguel Pena.  Richy Pedroza lined a one-out single to right field in the opening frame and came all the in from first one out later when longtime vet (and former Rieleros player-manager) Saul Soto rapped a double to left to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.  In the second, Eliezer Ortiz drew a two-out walk off Pena but, with Dave Sappelt batting, appeared to be picked off for the third out.  However, a throwing error by TJ first baseman Jorge Cantu during the ensuing pickle allowed Ortiz to take second.  Sappelt then punched a single through the left side of the infield to bring Ortiz home.

The Toros tied the game at 2-2 by posting single runs of their own in the third and fourth innings.  With Dustin Martin occupying first base, Isaac Rodriguez tapped a double-play grounder to Rieleros starter Yohan Flande, who threw to Pedroza covering second for the first out but Pedroza's relay to Jesse Castillo was off the mark and allowed Rodriguez to scamper to second.  Jose Guadalupe Chavez, who had a great series at the plate, then drove Rodriguez with a single up the middle.  Chavez went 14-of-24 (.583) at the plate over the six-game set, scoring six runs and driving in seven more.  Tijuana's second run came a bit more directly when Corey Brown lofted a solo homer to right off Flande to even the score.

Aguascalientes regained the lead in the sixth on a Carlos Rodriguez solo homer after Pena had opened the inning by whiffing Jose Vargas and Cristhian Presichi, but the contest was knotted back up at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh when Alex Liddi lined a leadoff homer to left off Rieleros reliever Roy Merritt, a Southern University alum who'd pitched 6.1 solid innings against the Toros in a start four nights earlier.  Liddi displayed a couple of shimmy-shake moves while circling the bases that won't bring him an invite to "Dancing With the Stars" but delighted the Tijuana fans regardless.  Merritt was pulled just before Liddi's next plate appearance in the eighth, but the Texan hurler may file Liddi's trip around the bags in his memory banks for next season.

The game-winning run came in the bottom of the eighth when Cyle Hankerd led off the inning by drilling a double to center.  Valencia was brought in as a pinch-runner to replace Hankerd while Alfredo Amezaga was sent up to the plate as a pinch-hitter for former Florida Marlins teammate Cantu and laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Valencia to third.  Merritt then intentionally walked Juan Apodaca to pitch to Martin, a dangerous hitter but only going 2-for-21 in the series when he strode to the plate.  The strategy failed, as Martin lined a single to left, scoring Valencia from third to put the Toros up by a 4-3 count.  Urquidez then came on in the ninth and after allowing a single by pinch-hitter Edson Garcia, got both Sappelt and Pedroza looking to end the game and series, collecting his third save in Tijuana's four wins in the process.

Chavez finished with a 3-for-4 night at the plate while Hankerd had two hits for the winners.  Aguascalientes, who'd overachieved all season with a dollar-store roster cobbled together by manager Homar Rojas, got two hits apiece from Pedroza and Julian Castro but the Rieleros were unable to overcome the Brown and Liddi homers as well as their own defensive miscues along the way.  Pena went 5.2 innings on the mound for Tijuana, allowing three runs on seven hits, but the win went to reliever Juan Sandoval, who tossed a scoreless eighth before Martin's heroics made him the pitcher of record.  Merritt took the defeat for Aguascalientes after giving up two runs in 2.1 frames out of the bullpen.  Urquidez earned a save in all three of his appearances for the Toros, allowing only Garcia's single and one walk while striking out eight Rieleros in 3.1 innings of work.

Manager Pedro Mere's Toros will now face the Monterrey Sultanes in a rematch of last season's LMB North championship series.  That set, won by Tijuana, lit a match under Monterrey owner Jose "Pepe" Maiz over the Toros' use of Mexican-American players that became a full-blown schism in the offseason.  With Maiz now in the background after selling half the team to the Grupo Multimedios in February, the level of volatility should be ratcheted down a notch but in the Mexican League, one never knows for sure.  We'll all find out starting Thursday.

Caneros win 6-5 thriller in 11, take MexPac title series lead

Veteran Saul Soto punched a two-run single in top of the eleventh inning and MLB free agent reliever Sergio Romo survived a shaky bottom of the frame as the Los Mochis Caneros held off the Mexicali Aguilas, 6-5, in the border city to take a 2-games-to-1 lead in the Mexican Pacific League championship series Tuesday night.

Los Mochis 6-15-1, MEXICALI 5-9-0

Chris Roberson opened the scoring in the bottom of the first for Mexicali by reaching second after tapping a leadoff bunt and drawing a hurried throw by Mochis pitcher Roy Merritt that sailed past Soto at first for an error, then scoring when Yuniesky Betancourt lined a single to center.  That's where the score stood halfwway through the seventh inning as Merritt and Aguilas starter Kameron Loe both contributed strong starts.  After throwing 104 pitches, Loe gave way to reliever Jose Meraz in the top of the seventh.

Meraz was the first of four Mexicali pitchers to see duty in that inning alone, as the Caneros scored four runs to take the lead.  Meraz got the first out before allowing a double to Eugenio Velez, after which Aguilas manager Roberto Vizcarra replaced him with Jose Manuel Lopez.  Isaac Rodriguez greeted Lopez with a single that moved Velez to third, followed by an RBI single that drove in Velez with the go-ahead run.  Lopez was yanked for Fautino de los Santos, who drilled J.C. Linares in the left arm on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. Linares had to be replaced by pinch-runner Sergio Garcia.  Leandro Castro then topped a dribbler back to the mound for an infield single that plated Rodriguez.  Unnerved, de los Santos then threw a wild pitch to Soto, which resulted in Ford crossing the plate with another Caneros run.  Soto went on to draw a walk, enough for Vizcarra to emerge from the dugout to wave in Manuel Chavez with the bases still loaded and only one out. Chavez got the final two outs, the first coming on a Yosmany Guerra sacrifice fly to right that brought in Garcia to make it a 4-1 Los Mochis lead.

That's where the score stood as Merritt put in one more inning on the hill for the Caneros before skipper Luis Sojo replaced him with Oliver Perez in the bottom of the eighth.  Perez immediately found trouble by giving up a leadoff single to Jon Del Campo and walking Ramon Rios.  After striking out Roberson for the first out, Perez allowed a Bourgeois triple to center, bringing in both Del Campo and Rios to close the Aguilas deficit to a one run.  Sojo then called in reliever Isaac Rodriguez, who got the second out before C.J. Retherford lined a double to left that scored Bourgeois with the tying run. Luis Juarez then hit an inning-ending flyout to Velez in left.

Neither team scored in the ninth to send the game into extra innings, followed by a scoreless tenth.  The eventful eleventh opened with Edgar Osuna on the hill for Mexicali after usual closer Jake Sanchez gave the Aguilas two scoreless frames.  Rodriguez (the second baseman, not the reliever) laid down a bunt in front of the plate and beat Osuna's throw to first for a single.  After a Ford bunt moved Rodriguez to second, Sergio Garcia toppled a first-pitch comebacker to the mound for the second out as Rodriguez stayed put on second. Osuna intentionally walked Castro to set up a force play at all three bases, but that strategy was scuttled when Soto rapped a full-count offering into left field to score both Rodriguez and Castro to give the visitors a 6-4 lead.  Guerra grounded out to Retherford at first to end the frame for Mochis.

Romo then emerged from the bullpen to replace Santago Gutierrez, who'd tossed two perfect innings for Mochis.  Things didn't start off well for the three-time World Series champ, as he allowed a leadoff single to Betancourt, threw a wild pitch to Retherford to advance Bentacourt to second and then coughed up a Retherford line-drive single to left that brought Betancourt in with the Aguilas' fifth run.  Sergio settled down after that, retiring Agustin Murillo on a line drive to Velez and inducing pinch-hitter Emmanuel Avila into a groundout to second to end the game with Mochis the victors by a 6-5 count.

Gutierrez got the win for the Caneros to go to 2-0 in the postseason and Romo recorded his seventh playoff save while Osuna was tagged with the loss to even his playoff record at 1-1.  Merritt allowed one run on four hits with five strikeouts for Mochis in another strong outing for the Southern University product, while the 6'8" Loe (a former Texas Rangers starter) scattered seven hits and struck out eight Caneros batters in his six innings of shoutout pitching for Mexicali.  Six Caneros batsmen recorded two hits each in the Caneros' 15-hit attack as Soto's pair of singles raised his playoff batting average to .340. Retherford, Murillo and Betancourt each had two hits for the Aguilas, with the latter's postseason average going up to .347 via his two safeties.

A crowd of 17,000 packed the stands at Mexicali's Estadio B'Air, which will be the site of Game Five Wednesday night at 7:30PM PST (0330 UTC).  Luids Niebla will get the start for the Caneros while Javier Solano takes the mound for the Aguilas.

Los Mochis, Mexicali win classic Game Sevens, will play for LMP pennant

Sebastian Valle's two-run double was the key blow in a three-run seventh inning as Los Mochis punched their ticket to the Mexican Pacific League championship series Thursday night with a 3-1 home win over Culiacan.  The Caneros will face Mexicali, who reached the title series thanks to a Herculean performance from closer Jake Sanchez (pictured), who pitched 7.2 innings of scoreless relief as the Aguilas outlasted Hermosillo, 4-3, in 16 innings.

LOS MOCHIS 3-6-1, Culiacan 1-8-2

This one was a pitcher's duel all the way, as Caneros starter Roy Merritt locked horns with his Culiacan counterpart, Zack Dodson as the two Texans traded zeros on the scoreboard through five innings. Tomateros rightfielder Joey Meneses led off the third with the game's first hit on a single, but died there as Merritt retired the next three batters in order.  Culiacan finally broke through with the first score of the night in the top of the sixth.  Veteran Jose Manuel "Manny" Rodriguez started things off with a one-out single, then moved to third when Ramiro Pena lashed a double to third.  After intentionally walking Eugenio Velez to load the bases, Merritt was replaced by Isaac Rodriguez, who plunked Issmael Salas with his first pitch to give Rodriguez an easy stroll home to put the Tomateros ahead, 1-0.  That was all it took for Mochis manager Luis Sojo to yank Salas and bring in Santiago Gutierrez.  After Gutierrrez got Oscar Robles to pop out in foul territory, Sojo then waved Jon Sintes in from the bullpen to end the inning on a Meneses fly out.

Dodson carried the lead into the bottom of the seventh, when the game turned.  After giving up a leadoff single to Leandro Castro on his 87th pitch of the night, Dodson was pulled by Cuiliacan skipper Che Reyes in favor of middleman David Goforth.  The Brewers righty was able to get Saul Soto to foul out to leftfielder Ryan Lollis but then walked Yosmany Guerra on five pitches to put two men on with Valle coming up.  The newly-acquired Mariners farmhand drilled a 2-and-1 Goforth offering into right field for a two-bagger to bring in Castro and Guerra, giving the Caneros the lead, with Valle advancing to third on a Rodriguez throwing error.  That was enough for manager Reyes, who called in MLB vet Oliver Perez to face pinch-hitter Sergio Garcia.  The Nationals right-hander struck out Garcia for the second out but was then tagged for a triple to right by Velez, with Valle crossing the plate to make it a 3-1 Mochis lead and that was all she wrote for the visitors.  Sergio Romo tossed two scoreless innings for his fifth playoff save to end the game and close the series for the Caneros.

Sintes was credited with the win for his perfect one-and-a-third innings of pitching, but the table was more than set by Merritt's 5.1 opening innings of work.  The seven-year Mets minor leaguer let up six hits with one runner scoring in a solid performance.  As good as the 31-year-old lefty was, Dodson may have been a little better as the one-time Pirates fourth-rounder allowed just two hits and two walks in six frames, allowing one run and striking out four.  Goforth took the loss for the Tomateros as another sellout crowd of 11,132 at Estadio Emilio Ibarra celebrated the Caneros moving one step closer to their first pennant since 2002-03.

MEXICALI 4-18-1, Hermosillo 3-12-1

The "other" semifinal was likewise a pitching-dominated matchup as Hermosillo and Mexicali took their fight into double overtime before the Aguilas finally shook off the Narajeros, 44-3, in 16 innings.  The contest looked like it might turn into a slugfest as both teams scored twice in the first inning.  Hermosillo  got on the board when O'Koyea Dickson singled in Jason Bourgeois and Carlos Gastelum came in on a Jose Amador safety, both off Aguilas starter Kameron Loe.  The Aguilas punched back when Chris Roberson led off the bottom of the first with a double and scored on a Yuniesky Betancourt double one out later.  Betancourt subsequently moved to third on a C.J. Retherford single and scored when Luis Juarez hit a sacrifice fly to right.

The 2-2 score held until the top of the fifth, when Dickson lofted his third homer in two nights into the left field bleachers off a Barry Enright serving, but the hosts came back in the seventh on Yordanys Linares' two-out single to left that plated Ramon Rios.  Linares tried taking second on the hit but was thrown out by Dickson in left. After that, it was nothing but goose eggs on the board inning after inning as the game ended at 2:33AM local time.  The contest finally concluded in the bottom of the 16th, beginning with Roberson's leadoff single off Hector Galvan.  The ex-Phil then advanced to second on a Jon Del Campo sacrifice bunt, took third when Betacourt singled and eventually scored the semi-winning run when LMP bat champ Luis Suarez poked a bases-loaded single to right off Hermosillo reliever Wilmer Rios.

Loe was touched for five hits and two runs in the first, only getting one batter out.  One-time Braves prospect Edgar Osuna pitched 3.1 innings of one-hit shutout ball after relieving Loe, but it was closer Jake Sanchez who reached back for Mexicali with an outing that legends are made of.  The 2013 Pioneer League Pitcher of the Year entered the contest in the top of the eighth and pitched into the 15th, blanking the Orangemen over 7.2 frames on two hits and two walks while racking up eleven K's in a 116-pitch performance.  Javier Solano took over for Sanchez and was credited with the win, but the mound belonged to the Cal Baptist product Thursday night as 13,110 fans were in the stands at Estadio B'Air when the game began.

Enright had a fair start for Hermosillo, giving up three runs in 6.2 innings with no walks.  Six relievers combined to held the Aguilas scoreless until the end.  Galvan suffered the loss despite 3.1 otherside good innings in which he let up only two hits and struck out two.  Betancourt and Juarez each had four of the Aguilas' 18 hits while Amador finished with four hits of his own.

Culiacan posts first semi win, rainout in Hermosillo

Number nine batter Jose Guadalupe Chavez (pictured) had a three-run homer and an RBI double to help power the Culiacan Tomateros to a 7-3 win over Los Mochis Saturday for a Game Three win in their Mexican Pacific League semifinal series.  The Caneros lead the set, 2 games to 1.

Meanwhile, Saturday's Game Three between Mexicali and Hermosillo at Estadio Sonora was rained out and rescheduled for Sunday, as is Game Four of the Tomateros-Caneros series in Culiacan.


CULIACAN 7-9-1, Los Mochis 3-6-1

Chavez' home run was the high point of a Tomateros four-run seventh inning that broke a 3-3 tie and sent the home team to their first win of their semifinal soiree against Mochis.  The Guaymas native, a former Indians prospect who turned 32 on January 2, hit .241 with just 9 RBIs in 37 games for Culiacan during the regular season, making him an unlikely offensive hero in a lineup featuring more notable batters like Ronnier Mustelier, Jose Manuel "Manny" Rodriguez, Ramiro Pena and Joey Meneses.

The Tomateros manufactured a run in a hit-free bottom of the first when leadoff hitter Maxwell Leon got on base after Mochis first sacker Saul Soto misplayed his grounder, beat a fielder's choice relay to second on Ryan Lollis' ground to Caneros third baseman Juan Carlos Gamboa, took third on a Pena sacrifice bunt and came in to score on Meneses' sacrifice fly to center.  Culiacan took a 3-0 lead in the second when Chavez doubled in Ali Solis and Leon singled in Chavez from second. The score stood until Los Mochis pushed three tallies across in the top of the fifth to tie the contest as Soto, Sebastian Valle and Gamboa each had run-scoring singles in a tough inning for Tomateros starter Hector Daniel Rodriguez.  The Tomateros put the final three runs of the night on the board in the seventh when veteran Oscar Robles plated Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly, followed by Chavez' three-run bomb off reliever Isaac Rodriguez (a Phoenix-born rookie not to be confused with the Mochis second baseman of the same name, who hails from Hermosillo).

Hector Daniel Rodriguez took the pitching win to go to 3-0 for Culiacan in the playoffs after turning in a rather pedestrian 4-6 record with a 3.50 ERA during the regular season.  The hometown product went seven innings, allowing those three fifth-inning runs and six hits overall, striking out three and issuing no walks.  Roy Merritt was tagged with the loss for the Caneros after pitching 5.1 frames until being pulled by Mochis manager Luis Sojo.  Merritt was charged with five earned runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out one. The Houston native, who spent five years in the Mets system, was 6-6 for the Caneros prior to the postseason. Chavez, Mustelier and Manny Rodriguez each had two hits for Culiacan as 16,530 looked on at Estadio de los Tomateros, the site of next month's Caribbean Series. Nobody for Los Mochis had more than one hit.

Defending champs ousted; Mayos, Tomateros win

Less than a year after fighting their way to a Mexican Pacific League pennant and the Caribbean Series championship, the Mazatlan Venados have been eliminated from this winter's LMP playoffs in five games after Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Los Mochis Caneros. Elsewhere, Culiacan pulled ahead in their series with Hermosillo after topping the Naranjeros, 6-2, while Navojoa staved off a first-round series loss to Mexicali by besting the Aguilas, 8-6, as all three visiting teams won Saturday.  Culiacan will host Hermosillo in Game Six on Sunday and Navojoa will return home to welcome Mexicali.


Los Mochis 4-5-3, MAZATLAN 3-15-1

The Venados put plenty of men on base via 15 hits, two walks, a hit batsmen and three Mochis errors, but only went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and ended up leaving 13 of them stranded in Saturday's season-ending 4-3 loss before 9,267 spectators at Mazatlan's Estadio Teodoro Mariscal.

The Caneros drew first blood in the top of the first inning when Eugenio Velez scored on Lew Ford's sacrifice fly off Mazatlan starter Jeremy Kehrt, then made it a 3-0 lead in the third on RBI singles from Isaac Rodriguez (pictured) and J.C. Linares.  The Venados tied the contest with three tallies in the fifth as Heber Gomez and Jesus Fabela contributed run-scoring singles, but Mochis pulled ahead in the top of the seventh when Sebastian Valle plated the game's final run on Velez' sac fly to center.  Mazatlan loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame but failed to score and the game ended in the ninth when Samar Leyva was sent in by Venados manager Daniel Fernandez as a pinch-runner for Hector Paez, then was cut down stealing second on a throw by Valle to Mochis second baseman Jesus Arredondo.

Guillermo Trujillo pitched a scoreless sixth inning in relief for the Caneros to pick up the win after Mochis starter Roy Merritt struggled through five innings, allowing three runs on nine hits.  MLB free agent Sergio Romo got the final four outs of the game for his third save of the series.  Rodriguez had two of the Caneros' five hits, scoring one run and driving in another.  Drew Maggi and Brian Hernandez each had three hits for Mazatlan but neither figured in any scoring.


Culiacan 6-8-0, HERMOSILLO 2-5-1

Culiacan scored a single run in six of their nine innings to deliver a death-by-a-thousand-cuts deafeat to Hermosillo, 6-2, Saturday in front of an overflow throng of 16,581 at the Naranjeros' Estadio Sonora.  The win edges the Tomateros ahead, 3 games to 2, in their first-round matchup with Hermosillo in a battle between two franchises with 26 MexPac pennants between them.

The Tomateros got a run in the first when Jose Manuel Rodriguez singled in Ryan Lollis.  After three scoreless innings, Culiacan scored a run in each frame from the fifth through the ninth: Ali Solis scored on a Rodriguez sacrifice fly in the fifth, Ramiro Pena scored on a Jose Guadalupe Chanvez single in the sixth, Lollis scored on a Pena sac fly in the seventh, Sebastian Elizalde scored on a Lollis single in the eighth and Joey Meneses scored on a Issmael sac fly in the ninth.  Culiacan was up 4-0 when Dustin Martin whacked a two-run homer for the Naranjeros in the bottom of the seventh, but that was all the scoring the Orangemen could muster against Tomateros starter Hector Daniel Rodriguez and three relievers.

Rodriguez went to 2-0 in the playoffs by pitching six innings and allowing two runs on three hits, striking out seven with one walk.  Derrick Loop struck out three of Hermosillo's final four outs for his second save.  The Naranjeros' Travis Blackley suffered his second loss in as many head-to-head starts against Rodriguez, going five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and striking out three.  Blackley had control issues, however, giving up five walks and throwing two wild pitches.


Navojoa 8-11-2, MEXICALI 6-9-0

The Navojoa Mayos blew open a scoreless game by pushing six runs across the plate in the top of the fourth inning and went on the outlast Mexicali, 8-6, Saturday before 15,813 witnesses at La Nida in the border city.  Navojoa pulled to within a game of the Aguilas, who lead the series, 3 games to 2.

The Mayos batted through the order in that fateful fourth, picking up four hits and two walks after Mexicali starter Javier Solano had retired the first two batters he faced in the inning.  The key Navojoa hits were a two-run single by Jesus Castillo that was immediately followed by a three-run Quincy Latimore homer. The 6-0 cushion was more than enough for Mayos starter Hector Velazquez to hold the fort before being pulled with one out in the seventh, leaving the game with a 8-4 lead. Another Mexicali run charged to Velazquez came in, but it was too little, too late for the home team, who must now beat the top seeded Mayos Sunday in Navojoa to close out the series.

Velazquez ended up allowing five runs on seven hits and two walks for his second postseason win in what was not one of his stronger outings of the season.  Solano was yanked with two out in the fourth and took his second playoff loss, giving up six runs on seven hits and four walks.  Castillo led the Mayos with three hits and three RBIs while scoring a run.  Chris Roberson had a single and double for Mexicali, scoring twice and driving in a run while batting champ Luis Juarez doubled in Yordanys Linares and then scored on an Agustin Murillo in the fourth inning, but it was not to be the Aguilas' night.

Caneros top Venados, 2-1, in 11 to open LMP playoffs

LOS MOCHIS 2-6-2, Mazatlan 1-8-0 (11)

Sebastian Valle (pictured) socked Roberto Espinosa's first pitch of the game over the left field wall for a walkoff home run to give the Los Mochis Caneros a 2-1 win in eleven innings over Mazatlan Monday night in the Mexican Pacific League playoff opener for both teams.

The game was a pitcher's duel between Venados starter Jeremy Kehrt (8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 4 K) and Mochis' Roy Merritt (6.2 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 9 K) that both bullpens carried into extra frames.  Saul Soto singled in J.C. Linares in the bottom of the fifth to give Mochis a 1-0 lead.  Carlos Munoz scored Mazatlan's only run in the top of the seventh by coming in on a throwing error by Caneros second baseman Isaac Rodriguez after Erick Rodriguez singled for the Venados.

Linares and Valle each had two of Mochis' six hits while Erick Rodriguez had three of Mazatlan's eight safeties.  Reliever Santiago Gutierrez got the win for the Caneros, who host the Venados in Game Two Tuesday night at Estadio Emilia Ibarra Almada.


NAVOJOA 4-9-0, Mexicali 2-5-0

Chris Roberson led off the game with a homer off Navojoa ace Hector Velazquez to give Mexicali an early 1-0 lead, but the Mayos scored three times in the bottom of the third and went on to vanquish the Aguilas, 4-2, in Navojoa.

The Mayos loaded the bases against Mexicali starter Javier Solano in the third before Solano dished up a bases-clearing double to left by Jesus Castillo, giving the home team a 3-1 advantage.  C.J. Retherford's RBI single to left in the top of the fourth brought the Aguilas to within one run, but a Fernando Flores single in the bottom of the sixth for the Mayos brought in Alan Sanchez with the game's final tally.

Velazquez allowed two runs on three hits in 7.2 innings to get the win for Navojoa while Solano (5.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R) absorbed the loss for Mexicali.  Esteban Haro pitched a scoreless ninth for the save for the Mayos.  Yosmany singled and doubled while Lance Zawadski singled twice for Navojoa.  Roberson added a single to his homer, making it a two-hit night for the Mexicali centerfielder.  The Mayos entertain the Aguilas Tuesday at Estadio Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria.


CULIACAN 6-10-0, Hermosillo 3-7-0

A four-run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning gave Culiacan a commanding 6-1 lead as the Tomateros then held off Hermosillo's rally in the ninth to finish with a series-opening 6-3 win in front of 16,138 fans at Estadio BBVA Bancomer in Culiacan.  The Tomateros scored single runs in the third and sixth innings off Naranjeros starter Travis Blackley to take a 2-0 lead before Jason Bourgeois' single pushed Tim Torres across the plate with Hermosillo's first run in the top of the seventh.

Culiacan erupted for four more scores in the eighth, keyed by an RBI single from Joey Meneses and a two-run double by Ramiro Pena.  The Naranjeros scored twice in the ninth on pinch hitter Luis Alfonso Garcia's run-scoring single and an Efren Navarro sacrifice fly that brought in Jorge Flores from third before Tomateros reliever Derrick Loop got the final out of the contest.

Hector Daniel Rodriguez got the win for Culiacan while Blackley took the loss for Hermosillo.  Maxwell Leon had three hits for the Tomateros, who outhit the Orangemen by a 10-7 margin.  Flores singled and doubled for Hermosillo.  Game Two is Tuesday night in Culiacan.

MEXPAC PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD: WED, 1/6/16

The Obregon Yaquis and Navojoa Mayos are both one game closer to the semifinals after winning their Mexican Pacific League first round playoff games Wednesday night.

Obregon won Game 5 in Los Mochis, 4-1, as Dustin Martin (pictured) turned in a second straight top-notch night at the plate with a double and homer for the Yaquis.  Navojoa slipped past Mazatlan, 3-2, thanks to Jesus Castillo's solo homer in the bottom of the eighth inning.  The Yaquis and Mayos are both up, 3 games to 2.

The teams change venues for Game 6 on Thursday night when Obregon welcomes Los Mochis and Mazatlan plays host to Navojoa.  Mexicali has already advanced by sweeping Jalisco in four straight games.

Obregon 4-8-1, LOS MOCHIS 1-9-3
W-R. Valdez (1-0).  L-Merritt (0-1).  T-2:53.  A-9,130.
Obregon starter Rolando Valdez gave up six hits in six innings to take the win.  Mochis' Roy Merritt pitched well over seven innings, but two of the three runs he allowed were unearned, with Cubs prospect Christian Villanueva's solo homer in the second the only untainted score on the sheet as the Caneros committed three errors.  
After Dustin Martin led off the top of the ninth with his third playoff homer to make it 4-0, the Caneros made things interesting when Emmanuel Avila and Jesus Arredondo opened the bottom of the frame by ripping back-to-back doubles for one run off Obregon closer Josh Judy, but Judy settled down to strike out Sebastian Valle, Rodolfo Amador and Juan Carlos Gamboa on twelve pitches to end the contest.  Martin also doubled and scored in the fourth

NAVOJOA 3-10-0, Mazatlan 2-6-1
W-O. Felix (1-0).  L-Barraza (0-1).  T-2:50.  A-9,711.
Nate Tenbrink slammed a two-run homer off Mazatlan starter Sergio Valenzuela in the bottom of the third for the only two counters Valenzuela allowed over 5.2 innings although he was far from sharp. Navojoa held that 2-0 lead until the top of the eighth, when Erick Rodriguez smoked a two-run bomb of his own into the left field bleachers at Parque Manuel "Ciclon" Echeverria to tie it up.  
Mayos first baseman Jesus Castillo socked a line-driver homer to right field to give Navojoa a lead they would not relinquish as Daniel Moskos pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to save the contest.  Mayos starter Eddie Gamboa shut out the Venados over seven frames, but it was reliever Oscar Felix who got the win.