Baseball Mexico
by Bruce Baskin
Published on July 26, 2010 under Mexican League (ML)
RODRIGUEZ TOSSES NO-HITTER TO KEEP SALTILLO REPEAT HOPES ALIVE
With the season in the balance for the defending Mexican League champions, pitcher Hector Daniel Rodriguez came up huge for Saltillo Sunday night. The 25-year-old lefty from Culiacan tossed a no-hitter against Mexico City to fend off elimination from the Mexican League's first round of playoffs. Just five Mexico City batters got on base, four on walks and one on an error. The Diablos still lead the series, 3 games to 2. The winner of that series will meet Monterrey in the LMB North Finals. Edgar Gonzalez won twice for the Sultanes as Monterrey sent Chihuahua packing after five games of their set.
In the LMB South playoffs, neither first-round series has a winner yet. Puebla and Yucatan have traded wins back and forth and are tied at two games apiece. Veteran second baseman Oswaldo Morejon's two-run homer for Yucatan broke a 1-1 tie as the Leones won Sunday's game, 4-1, in Merida. Meanwhile, Quintana Roo and Oaxaca are having trouble just getting games in. The Guerreros lead the series, 2 games to 1. The teams were tied 0-0 Sunday until rains suspended the game until Monday.
LMB VET SIEVERS AWARDED FOR 1,000TH CAREER HIT
Quintana Roo designated hitter Carlos Sievers has received an award for amassing over 1,000 hits in his long Mexican League career from the Tigres. The 35-year-old Sievers grew up in Cancun and has played for both Yucatan and Tabasco since his 1993 LMB debut before returning home to join the Tigres last year. He actually reached the 1,000-hit milestone March 20 against Campeche.
Sievers was honored before Quintana Roo's final regular season game on July 17 by Tigres chief executive Cuauhtemoc Rodriguez, vice president Francisco Villanueva and assistant vice president Amador Gutierrez (as well as Tigres mascot Chaco).
The 5'8", 210-pound Sievers entered the 2010 season with 996 career LMB hits and finished his 19th campaign with a .285 batting average and eight homers in 75 games.
TIJUANA TEAM TO BEAT AS LIGA NORTE SEMIS BEGIN
Tijuana has been on a nomadic baseball journey the past couple years, but the border city has made the most of its first year in the Mexican Northern League. After the Mexican League Potros moved to Reynosa following the 2008 season, Tijuana was granted a franchise in the independent Golden League, but never played a game. Finally, the city landed a team in the Liga Norte for 2010.
Tijuana cruised to the regular season title under manager David Sinohui with a 54-14-2 overall record while winning both halves. With the semifinals starting this week, Tijuana is the favorite heading into their series with defending champ Guaymas. Ensenada is taking on Caborca in the other set.
Jorge Luis Delgado of Agua Prieta won the batting title with a phenomenal .456 average and former LMB player Jayson Bass led in homers with 20. Ensenada's Alexis Candelario topped the LNM with a 1.26 ERA while four pitchers won 9 games each (including thee Tijuana starters).
CATCHER OJEDA CONTEMPLATES RETIREMENT, LIFE AFTER BASEBALL
Former major leaguer Miguel Ojeda admits he thought of retiring after undergoing surgery on his right elbow earlier this year. The 35-year old Guaymas native, who was limited to a .235 average in just 32 games for the Mexico City Diablos Rojos this year, knows his time as a ballplayer is limited. However, as Mazatlan's Noroeste newspaper reports, Ojeda already has plans for his second life.
Ojeda plays for Mazatlan during the winter, and was in town recently to open a new restaurant. Ojeda, who hit .224 with 15 homers in 212 games for San Diego, Seattle, Texas and Colorado between 2003 and 2006, also has a bat-manufacturing business.
He told Noroeste, "It's hard for one as a player to think that you will live 50 years in baseball. You have to think a little about what you do...you think of your of your children and their needs. That's why I'm embarking on this (restaurant) and hope the people of Mazatlan like it."
Mexican League Stories from July 26, 2010
- Baseball Mexico - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin
- Baseball Mexico Playoff Update - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer(s), and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
