Octet of fortysomethings still playing, producing in Liga

Of the literally hundreds of baseball books I've read over the years, "Some Are Called Clowns" remains one of my all-time favorites.  Written by pitcher-manager Bill Heward, who is now a professor at Ohio State University, the book is a diary of the 1973 season with the Indianapolis Clowns, the last of the great barnstorming teams before finally folding in 1989. The Clowns, whose alumni includes one Henry Aaron, had integrated by 1973.  A player who came and went that year called himself Jim King, and one chapter was devoted to King's travails in baseball, including his experience in Mexico.  It was my first exposure to the Mexican League beyond The Sporting News Baseball Guides of the era and that chapter sparked an interest in Mexican baseball that obviously has continued to this day.

One quote from Heward struck me as a 15-year-old and has stayed with me.  King was using an assumed name and shaved years off his age to make himself look more attractive to MLB scouts, but Heward said about King's time in Mexico, "Jim wasn't worried about anyone checking his age. Mexican style baseball bears only slight resemblance to U.S. big league operations.  They didn't care, for instance, how old anyone was, so long as they could do the job."  Which makes total sense if you think about it. Minnie Minoso (pictured) extended his playing career nine summers in the Mexican League with Jalisco and Union Laguna.  The Vaqueros were less concerned about the 50 years he had reportedly spent on this earth than they were about the 12 homers and 83 RBIs that Minoso (who belongs in Cooperstown) brought them in 1973, his final season.  The bottom line in Mexico: If you can still play, why shouldn't you?

Fast forward to 2017, and it's apparent that philosophy is still alive and well in the LMB, where no fewer than eight players age 40 and over are not only still in uniform, but in most cases are contributing to their team's fortunes.  Reference was made to this octet of active fortysomethings (six of them pitchers) in a recent Puro Beisbol column written by editor Fernando Ballesteros, so why not take a look in BBM at how they're doing thus far during the current season?

RAFAEL DIAZ (Age 46), Tijuana Toros pitcher
A 5'11" right-hander, Diaz is the only pitcher in Liga history to top the 100 mark in both wins (107) and saves (105) for his career.  He's gone back and forth between the starting rotation and bullpen over the years, serving Pedro Mere's Toros as a starter in 2017.  Diaz is currently 2-2 with a 3.91 ERA over 46 innings pitched this year, his 20th in the LMB, striking out 33 while walking just 10 batsmen.  He saw his ERA go up from 3.14 to 3.91 after being touched for five runs in seven innings last Saturday in Durango, but the wily veteran has more than held his own as the league's oldest player.

GAUDENCIO AGUIRRE (44), Durango Generales pitcher
Currently in his 23rd Liga campaign, Aguirre has never been a star so much as an effective middleman over the past several years after being both a starter and closer earlier in his career.  The Veracruz native has not started a game since 2002, making his 12-1 record for Monterrey in 2007 all the more remarkable.  His career record in the LMB is 82-61 with 97 saves.  This year, Aguirre's numbers are so-so with an 0-1 record and 4.64 ERA in 26 trips from the bullpen, but his ERA ranks fifth on manager Joe Alvarez' pitching staff.  It's been a season of surprises in Durango, but Aguirre is pretty much doing what he's always done.

FRANCISCO CAMPOS (44), Campeche Piratas pitcher
The man they call "Pancho Ponches" keeps rolling along, although he did miss six weeks to injury in April and May.  A product of Guaymas, Campos (like Aguirre) is in his 23rd LMB season, all with Campeche except for five starts (all wins) while on loan to Monterrey in 2007.  He's 0-2 in five starts this year, but his 4.01 ERA is competitive in the Liga and with 16 strikeouts in 24.2 innings, Campos can still get those ponches and he held Veracruz to one run in six innings with five K's last Tuesday. With career marks of 190-132 and 2,098 strikeouts, Salon de la Fama membership for Campos is almost certain.

RUBEN RIVERA (43), Monclova Acereros rightfielder
Yes, THAT Ruben Rivera.  After spending time in MLB with five teams (including the Yanks and Padres) between 1995 and 2003, hitting .216 with 64 homers and 50 steals in 662 games, the Panamanian is in his 13th Mexican League season.  Rivera had some great years with Campeche and was a starter for last year's LMB pennant winners in Puebla before joining the mass exodus of players from the Pericos to Monclova.  He's only batting .234 with three homers in 41 games for the Acereros, but has gone 5-for-7 in stolen bases and has hit .333 over his last ten games.  Rivera was at .198 on May 19 but is apparently not done yet.

MARIO IVAN SANTANA (41), Monclova Acereros catcher
Just two weeks past his 41st birthday, Santana has carved a niche in the LMB as a solid catcher who's been a starter in the past but more typically a backup, a guy who can hit a little (.273 over his first 22 seasons) with some gap power while being hard to strike out.  The Chihuahua-born receiver, who's played in three All-Star Games and was a member of last year's Puebla title team (for whom he played 31 games of errorless ball in the regular season and hit .295), can also handle a pitching staff.  Santana is only batting .192 in 13 games for Monclova this year, however, and appears to be approaching the end of the line.

PABLO ORTEGA (40), Quintana Roo Tigres pitcher
While there's been some housecleaning going on in Cancun in the early stages of the Valenzuela Era, one longtime vet who's stayed with the Tigres is Pablo Ortega.  And why not?  The 19th-year vet, 14 with the Tigres, is tied for fourth in the LMB in wins (with a 6-2 record, winning his last two starts), fourth in ERA at 2.69 and is second to Yucatan ace Yoanner Negrin with a 1.16 WHIP.  Pablo is obviously still a good pitcher and a durable one, averaging 6.7 innings over ten starts.  He can still throw strikes, with 36 K's and just 12 walks over 67 innings. The best move Fernando Jr. may have made was NOT releasing this guy.

OSCAR ROBLES (40), Tijuana Toros third baseman
MLB fans who remember Robles from his short time as a starter at both shortstop and third base with the Dodgers in 2005, hitting .272 with 5 homers in 110 games that year, might be surprised that he's considered one of Mexico's best-hitting infielders in modern times.  Heading into the current season with Tijuana, Robles had a career .336 average with 72 homers over 14 LMB seasons, including eleven .300+ campaigns.  While the hometown product, who'll be retiring after the season, is "only" hitting .274 with no homers and 8 ribbies in 24 games, he's got a .384 OBP with 13 walks and 4 strikeouts in 86 plate appearances.  He's still useful.

WALTER SILVA (40), Leon Bravos pitcher
Despite all the problems experienced in Leon both on and off the field in 2017 (as chronicled in Wednesday's BBM post), Silva has not let it bother his pitching.  His record is a deceiving 3-6, as evinced by a 2.86 ERA that ranks fifth in the Liga while his 1.29 WHIP is tied for 12th.  Silva is in his 15th LMB season, 11 of those with Monterrey, and while some years have been better than others, he entered the season with a career 85-76 record and three past All-Star selections. Started for the Padres in the first game at New York's Citi Field in 2009, the only year since 2002 Silva has NOT pitched in the Mexican League.

While I won't say that 40 is the new 30, most of the eight above players have remained productive Mexican League ballplayers into their fifth decade of life (and most in their third decade in pro ball).  Returning to the question, "If you can still play, why shouldn't you?"  In Mexico, you can and these guys still do.  More power to 'em.

-Bruce

Toros stay alive; Serie del Rey moves to Tijuana

Roberto Lopez had a sub-.200 playoff batting average entering Monday night's Mexican League Championship Series Game Five in Puebla, but the Tijuana first baseman broke out of his slump in a big way to lead the Toros to a 9-2 win over the Pericos, staying alive in the Serie del Rey and sending the series back to the border city for Game Six on Wednesday.  The Toros trailed 2-1 before pushing eight runs across the plate in the top of the ninth, silencing the packed stands at Estadio Hermanos Serdan.

Lopez (pictured) cracked a double and homer in the ninth inning to the plate for the Toros, driving in three runs and scoring twice as Tijuana shaved Puebla's series lead to 3-games-to-2.  The Pericos had won the first two of three games played in Puebla, all before sellout crowds of 12,112.

Starting pitchers Horacio Ramirez of Tijuana and Orlando Lara of Puebla traded zeros until the top of the third inning, when Roberto Lopez crashed a solo homer to center off Lara to give the visitors a 1-0 nod.  The score stood until the bottom of the fifth, when Willy Taveras slashed a triple off Ramirez and later came in on Daric Barton's two-out single up the middle to tie things up for the host team.  The Pericos took the lead one frame later when Ruben Rivera led off the sixth with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored on Rudy Amador's seeing-eye single into center to give Puebla a 2-1 advantage.

The score held until the crazy top of the ninth, during which the visitors sent twelve batters to the plate and put those eight runs on the scoreboard.  Dustin Martin, who's having a Playoff MVP-worthy finals for Tijuana, led off the inning against Puebla closer Chad Gaudin with a triple past a diving Nyjer Morgan in left field  Martin scored on third baseman Amador's throwing error on a Carlos Valencia grounder to knot the game at 2-2 and the Toros eventually filled the bases for Lopez, whose two-run double broke the deadlock for good.  Gaudin registered his first out of the inning when the sixth batter faced, Miguel Torrero, grounded out to second.  After Gaudin got Jose Guadalupe Chavez to ground into a fielder's choice out as Puebla shortstop Alberto Carreon threw Alex Romero out at the plate for the second out, the bottom really fell out for the eleven-year MLB vet.

Throwing to pinch-hitter Emmanuel Valdez, Gaudin uncorked a wild pitch that brought Lopez rumbling in from third to make it a 5-2 Toros lead, then let up a Valdez double to center that scored Chavez.  Puebla skipper Cory Snyder deduced that Gaudin maybe just didn't have it after eight batsmen and four runs and brought in Benny Suarez.  It only took nine pitches and consecutive walks to Olmo Rosario and Martin for Snyder to figure that Suarez might not have it either, calling in Julio Felix from the bullpen to face Edson Garcia, who'd pinch-run earlier and stayed in the game defensively in center field.  While working on Garcia, Felix unleashed a wild pitch of his own to move Valdez in from third to bring the score to 7-2.  Garcia then drilled a liner into right to bring in Rosario and Martin, making it a 9-2 TJ  lead before Valencia mercifully ended the onslaught by grounding out to second.  It was then left to Toros closer Jason Urquidez to post a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth against the shell-shocked Puebla batsmen to end the game and send the Serie del Rey back to Estadio Gasmart.

Urquidez pitched the last 2.1 innings, allowing no hits and whiffing three Pericos for the win.  Gaudin was tagged with both a blown save and the loss for Puebla.  Both teams put up eleven hits on the night, with Chavez and Lopez each contributing two hits for Tijuana while Taveras and Amador split six hits for Puebla, five of them singles.  Lara scattered seven hits but let in just one run over 6.2 innings for the Pericos; Ramirez lasted into the sixth and had a tougher time, coughing up all 11 hits and both Puebla runs but five relievers (including Urquidez) allowed no hits or runs the rest of the way.  The game was delayed by rain for over an hour, stretching the contest past 12:30am local time.

After a travel day Tuesday, the two teams will convene Wednesday night in Tijuana at 10:30pm ET.  Game Seven, if needed, would be played Thursday, after which many players won't have time to either celebrate or drown their sorrows.  Training camps in the Mexican Pacific League are already opening for the coming winterball season...another reason to love baseball in Mexico.

Tijuana 9-11-1, PUEBLA 2-11-2 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 2)
W-Urquidez (1-0). L-Gaudin (0-1). HR-Lopez (R). T-3:30. A-12,112.

Big inning propels Pericos to win, 3-1 title series lead

A four-run outburst in the fourth inning put Puebla ahead for good and starter Hector Galvan (pictured) and three relievers combined to toss shutout ball over the final eight frames as the Pericos went on to beat Tijuana, 5-1, Sunday in the Mexican League Championship Series at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan with a sixth consecutive sellout crowd of 12,112 looking on.  With the win, the Parakeets took a 3-games-to-1 lead in the Serie del Rey in their quest for their hometown's first LMB pennant in 30 years.

The Toros took a 1-0 lead in a crazy top of the first inning.  After walking leadoff batter Jose Guadalupe Chavez and inducing Alex Romero to foul out to Pericos left fielder Nyjer Morgan, things started getting weird when Olmo Rosario stepped up to the plate for Tijuana.  Galvan threw a wild pitch to Rosario that allowed Chavez to scamper to second, then a delivery that eluded catcher Cesar Tapia gave Chavez the green light to advance to third.  It was left to Rosario to loft a fly ball that fell to earth in front of center fielder Willy Taveras for a single, bringing in Chavez with what turned out to be the Toros' only run.  Dustin Martin and Carlos Valencia also singled to load the bases before Oscar Robles grounded out to second to end the inning.

The Pericos knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the first when Jose Rodriguez' grounder found its way to left field to bring Morgan in from third, but it was the fourth inning that effectively put the game away for Puebla.  Rodriguez opened the inning by being plunked Tijuana starter Miguel Pena, moved to third on a Daric Barton double and (after Pena walked Tapia to load the bases) came in on an infield single by Ruben Rivera.  Alberto Carreon then stroked a two-run double to give Puebla a 4-1 lead.  Rudy Amador grounded out on a comebacker to Pena on the mound with no more runs coming in, but that was enough for Tijuana manager Pedro Mere.  Mark Serrano was brought in to face Oscar Sanay, who nubbed an infield single to third that brought Rivera in from third before Morgan ended the inning by lining to first sacker Roberto Lopez for an unassisted double play to end the inning and (in effect) the game, as nobody scored the rest of the way.

Taveras went 3-for-5 to lead the Pericos' nine-hit effort while Carreon recorded his third straight two-hit game to raise his playoff batting average to .360.  Rosario collected two of Tijuana's six hits.  Galvan ended up allowing the Toros' lone run on five hits over his five innings of work to take the win, scattering five safeties.  Pena absorbed the defeat to fall to 0-2 in the playoffs, giving up six hits, hitting two batters and walking another in 3.1 frames.  He was charged with all five Puebla runs.  One day after the two teams combined for six homers in Game Three, neither side hit one out Sunday.

The Pericos will try to clinch Puebla's first Liga pennant since 1986 and fourth since 1925 on Monday while the Toros try to keep the Serie de Rey alive and send the proceedings back to Tijuana for Games Six and Seven.  Lefty Horacio Ramirez will be on the hill for the Toros while fellow portsider Orlando Lara will start for Puebla.  The first pitch is scheduled for 8:00pm ET.

PUEBLA 5-9-0, Tijuana 1-6-0 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 1)
W-Galvan. L-M. Pena. T-2:46. A-12,112.

Puebla top Tijuana, 8-5, to take Serie del Rey lead

Pitcher Mauricio Lara (pictured) allowed one run on four hits over seven innings and Puebla batters bashed four homers as the Pericos held off a late Tijuana surge to post an 8-5 win over the Toros Saturday in Game Three of the Mexican League Championship Series. The Pericos took a 2-games-to-1 lead in the Serie del Rey as a crowd of 12,112 watched at Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan, marking the fifth consecutive playoff sellout in the colonial city.

Lara actually fell behind briefly in the top of the third inning, allowing one TJ run on back-to-back doubles by Isaac Rodriguez and Jose Guadalupe Chavez.  The Pericos came back with two of their own in the bottom of the frame, courtesy of solo homers off Toros starter Alex Sanabia by Daric Barton and Ruben Rivera, with Rivera's circuit clout to left putting the Pericos ahead for good.  Puebla rang up two more runs in the fourth (keyed by a Jose Rodriguez RBI double), two in the fifth on Rudy Amador's two-run single and one more tally in the sixth when Rodriguez socked a homer off reliever Manny Bareda.  Lara pitched a scoreless seventh before leaving the game with a 7-1 lead and a seeming lock for his third postseason triumph.

To their credit, Tijuana refused to lay down and die by ringing up four runs in the top of the eighth against Pericos relievers Jaime Lugo and Benny Suarez, three of them coming off a Dustin Martin homer to straightaway center field, his third bomb in as many Serie del Rey contests and fifth overall in the playoffs.  Suarez replaced Lugo after Martin's blast and, after getting one out, served up a solo shot to Carlos Valencia to narrow the Pericos' lead to two runs before recording the final two outs of the entrada.  

Puebla got one run back in the bottom of the eighth when Cesar Tapia went deep off Gerardo Sanchez (the Toros' sixth pitcher of the night) and it was left to Pericos closer Chad Gaudin to record a 1-2-3 ninth, getting Alex Romero swinging for the final out of the game and his sixth playoff save to seal the 8-5 win.

Rodriguez, Amador and Alberto Carreon each had two of Puebla's 11 hits while Martin contributed three hits for the Toros, who put 16 batters on base via hit, walk or error but were only 3-for-10 with runners in scoring position while hitting into five Puebla double plays.  With the win, Lara goes to 3-0 in the playoffs while the 37-year-old Hermosillo native lowered his postseason ERA to 1.32.  Sanabia suffered his first playoff loss for Tijuana, and it's a testament to how dominant he'd been in the first two rounds to note that even after coughing up five Pericos runs in 4.1 innings, his postseason ERA only went up to 1.96.

Game Four of the best-of-seven series is slated for Sunday afternoon in Puebla at 2:00pm Eastern Time.  Miguel Pena (0-1, 5.40) is the likely Tijuana starter while Hector Galvan (0-0, 9.64) is expected to throw the first pitch for Puebla. Galvan went 9-3 during the regular season for manager Cory Snyder's Pericos, but has only made one postseason appearance with a forgettable August 20 first-round start against Quintana Roo (his only outing in over a month).

PUEBLA 8-11-2, Tijuana 5-11-1 (Puebla leads series, 2 games to 1)
W-M. Lara. L-Sanabia. SV-Gaudin. HR-Valencia (T), D. Martin (T), R. Rivera (P), Barton (P), Tapia (P), J. Rodriguez (P). T-3:07. A-12,112.

LMB Division Championships results, highlights from Friday, September 2

Pitching was the name of both games Friday night in Mexican League Division Championship Series Game Five action in Puebla and Tijuana.

Yoanner Negrin rebounded from a pair of substandard playoff starts to carry a shutout into the seventh inning as his Yucatan Leones completed their three-game road sweep in Puebla's Estadio Hermanos Serdan, beating the Pericos, 9-1, to overtake the series lead, 3 games to 2.  The visiting team has won all but one game in the South DCS.

Meanwhile, in the LMB North DCS, Tijuana's Barry Enright (pictured) was just a little better than Monterrey's Edgar Gonzalez as the Toros blanked the Sultanes, 2-0, Friday to take a 3-to-2 lead in that series.  Dustin Martin scored twice for Tijuana, contributing a fourth inning solo homer.  Unlike the other set, the home side has won every game in this series.

Saturday will be a travel day with action resuming Sunday night in Merida and Monterrey.

Yucatan 9-14-0, PUEBLA 1-8-3 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 2)
W-Negrin. L-O.Lara. HR-Serrano (Y). T-3:01. A-12,112.
Yoanner Negrin pitched 6.2 innings of shutout ball, allowing five hits and striking out four to post his third playoff win Friday to raise his overall season record to 21-2 as Yucatan copped their second straight game in Puebla, 9-1.  Jose Aguilar went 3-for-4 for the Leones, scoring once and driving in another run, while Ricardo Serrano socked a two-run homer in the second off Puebla starter Orlando Lara for his third longball of the postseason. Ruben Rivera had a pair of hits for the Pericos, including an RBI single in the eighth to drive in Jose Rodriguez with Puebla's lone run.

TIJUANA 2-6-0, Monterrey 0-7-0 (Tijuana leads series, 3 games to 2)
W-Enright. L-Ed. Gonzalez. SV-Urquidez. HR-D. Martin (T). T-2:56. A-17,362.
Tijuana starter Barry Enright carried a shutout into the sixth inning and three relievers took it from there as the Toros held off Monterrey, 2-0, with 17,362 looking on at Estadio Gasmart.  Enright scattered five hits and struck out three batsmen for his first playoff win of 2016.  Dustin Martin had a hand in both TJ runs, scoring on an Oscar Robles sacrifice fly in the second frame and clouting a solo homer off Sultanes starter Edgar Gonzalez in the fourth.  Gonzales went seven innings and pitched well enough to win, but his teammates took the night off at the plate.

Saturday's Schedule
No games

Sunday's Schedule
Tijuana (M. Pena) at Monterrey (M. Tovar), 6:05pm EDT
Puebla (M. Lara) at Yucatan (T. Solis), 7:05pm EDT

LMB Division Championships results, highlights for Wednesday, August 1

Travis Blackley (pictured) picked up where he left off when rain delayed Tuesday night's game and went on to pitch seven strong innings as Puebla defeated Yucatan, 5-3, Wednesday at Estadio Hermanos Serdan extend the Pericos' Mexican League South Division Championship Series lead over the Leones, 3 games to 0.  In the LMB North DCS, Olmo Rosario had a big night for Tijuana as the Toros broke Monterrey pitchers' 33-inning shutout streak in a big way, pounding the Sultanes, 9-1, in Estadio Gasmart to hand the visitors their first loss of the postseason.

PUEBLA 5-12-0, Yucatan 3-7-1 (Puebla leads series, 3 games to 0)
W-Blackley. L-T. Solis. SV-Gaudin. HR-J. Valdez (Y). T-2:56. A-12,112.
Former big leaguer Travis Blackley returned to the mound after tossing one scoreless inning Tuesday night and put in six more frames of work Wednesday, allowing one run on four hits to pick up his first win of the playoffs.  Tomas Solis, who allowed the first run of the game Tuesday, did not reappear but was handed the loss for the Leones.  Ruben Rivera had three hits for the winners while Nyjer Morgan singled and scored twice while driving in another run for Puebla.  Jesus Valdez cracked a solo homer for Yucatan, who face elimination by the Pericos in Thursday's tilt in the colonial city.

TIJUANA 9-11-0, Monterrey 1-5-3 (Monterrey leads series, 2 games to 1)
W-Sanabia. L-O. Villareal. HR-Rosario (T), Sappelt (M), Apodaca (T), R. Lopez (T). T-2:45. A-15,018.
Olmo Rosario went 3-for-5 with a grand slam as Tijuana doused Monterrey, 9-1, in front of 15,018 home fans at Estadio Gasmart Wednesday night.  Sultanes pitchers had extended their playoff shutout string to 33 innings (including four straight shutouts) into the third inning, when Alex Romero's single off Cesar Carrillo drove in Edson Garcia with the game's first run.  Tijuana had a 3-1 lead when Rosario's quad shot put the game out of reach four entradas later.  Toros starter Alex Sanabia allowed one run in six innings for the win.  The two teams meet again tonight in TJ.

THURSDAY'S SCHEDULE
Yucatan (J. Castellanos) at Puebla (H. Garcia), Estadio Hermanos Serdan, 8:00pm EDT
Monterrey (J. Solano) at Tijuana (H. Ramirez), Estadio Gasmart, 8:35pm EDT

Puebla takes 2-0 lead in LMB South finals; Guadalajara lands WBC Pool D games

The Puebla Pericos won their second straight road game Sunday in the Mexican League's South Division Championship Series, shutting out the Yucatan Leones, 4-0, at Parque Kukulkan in Merida.  Mauricio Lara pitched seven innings of the shutout and got the win while onetime Yankees outfielder Ruben Rivera (pictured) cracked a two-run homer for Puebla.

While the Pericos were taking a 2-games-to-0 lead in their series, the Tijuana Toros and Monterrey Sultanes saw their Game Two at Estadio Monterrey suspended by rain with the home team leading 1-0 in the top of the third inning. That contest is scheduled to resume Monday afternoon.

Puebla 4-13-1, YUCATAN 0-5-2 (Puebla leads series, 2 games to 0)
W-M. Lara. L-Negrin. HR-Rivera (P). T-2:41. A-11,000.
The Pericos benefited from seven innings of strong pitching by starter Mauricio Lara, who scattered four hits and walked two batters to post his second win of the postseason.  Lara has now allowed one earned run in 13.1 innings pitched as his playoff ERA dropped to 0.68.  The Pericos took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second innings when Issmael Salas and Rudy Amador lofted back-to-back, two-out RBI singles to centerfield off Leones starter Yoanner Negrin, who suffered only his second loss of the entire season.  Ex-MLB outfielder Ruben Rivera, who turns 43 in November, launched a two-run homer with two out in the eighth to seal the win for Puebla, who'll host Game Three Tuesday.

Monterrey 1, Tijuana 0 (Game suspended by rain in third inning)
Rain halted play in Monterrey for the second time in the postseason Sunday.  The Sultanes had taken a 1-0 lead over visiting Tijuana in the bottom of the second inning when Zoilo Almonte, Chris Roberson and Agustin Murillo all singled to lead off the frame, followed by a one-out walk issued to Luis Flores by Toros starter Miguel Pena to bring Almonte home.  Monterrey pitcher Javier Solano struck out Edson Garcia to open the third inning and was preparing to pitch to Jose Guadalupe Chavez when the game was called. Game Two will be resumed Monday at 2PM Eastern time.


Guadalajara awarded 2017 WBC first round games

Major League Baseball has awarded Guadalajara, Jalisco with four days of Pool D first round games in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.  The games will be played at Estadio Charros de Jalisco on March 9-12.  Other cities awarded first round play are Tokyo, Seoul and Miami.  Tokyo and San Diego will host second round action while Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles will be the site of the championship round.

Landing the WBC is another feather in the cap of Jalisco Charros owner Armando Navarro, who bought the Guasave Algodoneros in 2014 and moved the Mexican Pacific League franchise to Guadalajara.  There was some risk involved, as baseball had never really gained traction locally in previous forays in the summer Mexican League despite two LMB pennants.  One obstacle has been the phenomenal popularity of the CD Guadalajara soccer team, commonly known as Chivas.  Chivas is Mexico's most popular sports franchise, with 44 percent of the country surveyed counting themselves as supporters.  In addition, baseball facilities in Guadalajara had previously been lacking, to say the least.

However, Navarro has thrown himself into rebuilding baseball's image since bringing the LMP to town.  He purchased Estadio Telmex de Atletismo (an 8,000-seat ballpark built for US$28 million to host the 2011 Pan American Games) from the City, renamed it and expanded it twice to its current 13,000 capacity.  Unlike previous incarnations of the Charros, this edition has proven quite popular among local sports fans.  The team drew an average of 8,543 spectators during the MexPac regular season last winter.  Navarro has also looked into bringing the Caribbean Series to the Jalisco capital, but he'll certainly settle for the plum that is the WBC.

Mexico will be the host team for Pool D after qualifying for the WBC earlier this year in Mexicali.  The Verdes Grande have played in every WBC since its 2006 inception, but had to play qualifiers after finishing last during the 2013 WBC first round in Phoenix.  Despite holding home field advantage in the opening stage, manager Edgar Gonzalez' team won't have a cakewalk in Pool D, where they'll be joined by Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Italy.  Venezuela is currently ranked seventh in the world by the World Baseball & Softball Confederation, Mexico is eighth, Italy rates ninth and Puerto Rico holds the eleventh position.


LMP finalizing return of All-Star Game in November

Mexican Pacific League president Omar Canizales and LMP team owners met in Hermosillo to discuss, among other issues, the return of the MexPac All-Star Game this winter after an absence of nearly two decades.

The All-Star Game will be held Sunday, November 27 at Obregon's new 16,500-seat ballpark, which is being built at a cost of approximately US$28 million to replace Estadio Tomas Oroz Gaytan, which was built in 1971 but has become obsolete in recent seasons.  The new ballpark should open in time for the Obregon Yaquis' October 12 season opener against rival Hermosillo.

The All-Star format will include North and South teams, with the North squad consisting of players from Mexicali, Navojoa, Hermosillo and Obregon and the South lineup coming from among Mazatlan, Culiacan, Jalisco and Los Mochis.  Prior to the All-Star Game, a celebrity softball game will be held.  The LMP says invitations will be extended to past MexPac greats such as Adrian Gonzalez, Fernando Valenzuela, Teddy Higuera, Erubiel Durazo and Karim Garcia along with well-known Mexican entertainment figures.  Following the softball game, a Home Run Derby featuring players from the North and South teams will take place prior to batting practice and the All-Star Game itself.

The last LMP All-Star Game was played on November 24, 1997 in Navojoa.

SOUTH CLOBBERS NORTH, 11-1, IN LIGA ALL-STAR GAME

Ruben Rivera (pictured), Erick Rodriguez and Doug Clark slammed home runs and nine pitchers combined to limit the Northern Zone to one run on six hits as the Southern Zone trounced the North, 11-1, on May 29 at the 79th Mexican League All-Star Game in front of 14,633 fans in Saltillo’s Parque Francisco I. Madero.

Rivera opened the game’s scoring for the LMB South when the Campeche outfielder belted a two-run, line-drive homer to left off North starter Andres Meza of Puebla. Meza had a tough time, letting in three runs on four hits in his one inning of mound work. He was followed by eleven more pitchers for the North as the South offense combined to rack up 17 hits.

Surprisingly, the 3-0 South lead held through five innings, but after North manager Orlando Sanchez of Saltillo made six defensive changes in the top of the sixth, things started getting ugly. With two out, Quintana Roo’s Carlos Gastelum singled in Oaxaca’s Rodriguez and Veracruz shortstop Hector Hernandez tripled in Gastelum to put the South up 5-0.

Things really got out of hand in the seventh when the Tigres’ Clark swatted a three-run blast off Puebla’s Luis Ramirez to make it 8-0, and another Gastelum RBI single put the South further ahead. Rodriguez clubbed a two-run shot off Mexico City’s Jean Machi in the top of the ninth to cap the scoring for the South. Laguna’s Emmanuel Valdez stroked an RBI single in the bottom of the frame to put the North on the scoreboard, but it was purely academic by then.

Rivera ended up going 1-for-3 with two RBIs and was named the game MVP, a somewhat surprising pick since South teammate Clark went 2-for-3 with three ribbies. Veteran Campeche star Francisco Campos earned the win with a 1-2-3 first inning, while Meza was tagged with the loss.

One day earlier, Puebla’s Mendy Lopez outdueled Veracruz slugger Victor Diaz in the final round to win the Home Run Derby. Lopez also won the 2008 Home Run Derby at the All-Star Game in Tijuana while a member of the Monterrey Sultanes.

Mexican League results of Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011

CAMPECHE 5-8-0, Monclova 4-9-0
W-Armenta (5-0). L-Bustillos (0-1).
Ruben Rivera (pictured) took over Liga lead with 16th homer in 3-for-4 day at plate as Alejandro Armenta went to 5-0 for Piratas.

OAXACA 10-11-0, Yucatan 6-10-0
W-Gutierrez (1-1). L-Pollok (0-4).
Jaime Brena drove in 4 runs as Hugo Gutierrez got win for Guerreros despite letting in 2 runs and blowing save in 1/3 IP.

MEXICO CITY 16-17-1, Minatitlan 9-15-2
W-Delgado (1-0). L-Quintanilla (0-2).
Carlos Valencia swatted pair of homers and had 5 RBIs as Diablos built 13-0 lead after 3 innings and cruised to win.

PUEBLA 9-13-0, Quintana Roo 3-10-1
W-Barcelo (4-2). L-Ramirez (2-3).
Omar de la Torre doubled, singled and drove in two and Ivan Cervantes hit solo homer to back Pericos starter Lorenzo Barcelo (6 IP, 3 R).

Reynosa 10-17-0, MONTERREY 8-11-3 (10)
W-Lopez (1-0). L-Lizarraga (0-4).
Jose Espinoza hit 2-run ground rule double in top of 10th, Jose Juan Lopez retired side in order to seal triumph for Broncos.

VERACRUZ 8-11-0, Saltillo 1-7-1
W-Cruz (4-1). L-Nevares (1-1).
Rafael Cruz tosses solid complete game for Aguilas, shutout bid ruined by Refugio Cervantes homer in 8th.

LAGUNA 9-13-0, Tabasco 4-11-1
W-Yan (3-3). L-Sanchez (2-1).
Miguel Ojeda was 3-for-5 and drives in 2 while Dionys Cesar singled, doubled and scored twice in Vaqueros victory.

RIVERA TO RETURN TO MAZATLAN FOR MEX PAC SEASON

Former major league outfielder Ruben Rivera, a Baseball Mexico All-Star Team pick after a solid summer in Campeche, is set to come back to Mazatlan for another winter with the Venados. It’ll mark Rivera’s second Mex Pac campaign in the resort city after spending four seasons with Culiacan.

The Panamanian hit just .239 last winter for the Venados, but led the team with 10 homers, 41 RBIs and six stolen bases over 67 games. Rivera followed that up with a tremendous Mexican League season for Campeche, topping the Piratas in eleven offensive categories, including batting (.360), hits (124), homers (21), RBIs (73), runs scored (80) and stolen bases (16).

Mazatlan Sports Manager Andres Cruz says, “Rivera is a very important player, as his offensive contribution is central to the aspirations of the team, besides being one of the leaders of the team.” A four-time Mexican League All-Star, Rivera batted .216 with 64 homers and 203 RBIs between 1995 and 2003 for five teams in the majors, belting 40 homers for the Padres in 1999 and 2000.

RIVERA SAHPING UP FOR MEX PAC SEASON

If Ruben Rivera struggles at the beginning of the upcoming Mexican Pacific League season, it won’t be because he’s out of condition. The former major league outfielder was hard at work at home getting into shape prior to reporting to the Mazatlan Venados’ training camp. The Panamanian played for Mazatlan’s Mex Pac champions last winter, hitting .296 with five homers and 21 RBIs.

Rivera said he was happy to be back with the Venados for another season, calling last winter “a great experience” and that he is anxious to win another title in Mazatlan. The 35-year-old right-handed batter added that he’d like another shot to play in the majors (where he has not appeared since 2003) or Japan. In 662 games over nine years, Rivera hit .219 with 64 homers and 203 RBIs for his MLB career.

A cousin of New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, Ruben hit .344 and led the Mexican League with 32 homers this summer playing for Campeche.