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B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
Monday,
August 16, 2021
LMB
DIVISION SEMIS SET, TWO SERIES DECIDED BY GAME SEVENS
The Mexican League division
semifinals are now set after a pair of seventh and deciding first round
playoff
games were required to determine the eighth-team lineup. Mexico City,
Tabasco
and Yucatan all advanced in the LMB South and will be joined by
Veracruz as the
“lucky” loser because the Aguilas won two games in their series while
Quintana
Roo and Puebla only won once. Things came down to the wire in the LMB
North,
where it took a pair of Game Sevens to ensure that Guadalajara, Tijuana
and
Lucky Loser Aguascalientes to join Monclova in the division semis.
Here are capsules with details of
the past week's games in the six first-round series:
MEXICO
CITY def. QUINTANA ROO, 4 games to 1
Three first-round series ended
Thursday night, including Mexico City's Game Five win over Quintana
Roo, 8-4.
Japhet Amador led the Diablos attack with two homers and six RBIs to
close the
set with a 4-games-to-1 Mexico City triumph. The Tigres were forced to
play
their “home” games at Merida's Parque Kukulkan due to ballpark
renovations
Estadio Beto Avila in Cancun requiring them to play the final weeks of
the
season on the road.
Angel Erro's two-run homer in the
bottom of the second snapped a Quintana Roo scoreless streak that had
reached
19 innings, including shutouts on Tuesday (a 9-0 loss as Amador belted
two
longballs and drove in four) and Wednesday (a 3-0 defeat in which
Arturo Lopez
tossed six scoreless innings for the Red Devils and Juan Carlos Gamboa
socked a
two-run homer in the third).
TABASCO
def. PUEBLA, 4 games to 1
Tabasco also closed out their series
in five games with Puebla on Thursday. After splitting two games in
Villahermosa, the Olmecas copped three straight road games, starting
with a
14-12 slugfest win last Tuesday as former Phillies farmhand Herlis
Rodriguez
slammed a three-run homer and Roel Santos posted a two-run blast. Jesus
Arredondo hit a two-run single and later scored in a five-run fifth
inning as
the Olmecas went on to top the Pericos, 8-3, one night later.
Tabasco clinched the series
Thursday, 7-4, as Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with three runs and Ronnier
Mustelier's two-run single gave the Olmecas a 7-0 lead in the fourth
that the
Parakeets couldn't overcome. Manager Pedro Mere's club lacked offense
in the
regular season but it was their 29 runs in three games that sealed
their
victory.
MONCLOVA
def. SALTILLO, 4 games to 1
Also on Thursday, defending champion
Monclova finished their LMB North series with a 3-1 Game Five thriller
over
Saltillo as Addison Russell cranked out a two-run homer off Saraperos
closer
Anthony Carter in the bottom of the tenth to end the contest after
Bartolo
Colon turned in 5.1 decent entradas for Monclova, allowing one run on
five
hits.
The Steelers earlier collected a 6-3
win over Saltillo Tuesday during which Chris Carter slugged a pair of
homers of
Saraperos starter David Holmberg. Monclova registered another victory
Wednesday
on a 3-2 score as Dwight Smith's sacrifice fly brought home Erick Aybar
with
the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth. Carlos Bustamante earned
the save
with a 1-2-3 ninth for the Acereros to set up Thursday's clincher.
YUCATAN
def. VERACRUZ, 4 games to 2
After Friday's travel day, one more
series concluded on Saturday. Yucatan returned home after winning two
of three
in Veracruz to record a 5-1 win over the Aguilas to take their first
round set,
4 games to 2, as Jose Aguilar's two-run double gave the Leones a 2-1
lead in
the bottom of the second that they never relinquished.
Yucatan had split a pair in Merida
prior to winning, 7-6, in Veracruz last Tuesday when Aguilas third
baseman
Hector Gomez' throwing error in the top of the ninth allowed Walter
Ibarra and
Yadier Drake to plate the tying and winning runs, respectively. Alex
Liddi
clubbed two homers and drove in five Wednesday in an 11-3 Yucatan win
(Aguila
pitchers allowed 11 hits and nine walks); then Liddi, Norberto Obeso
and Luis
Juarez all homered in the fifth Thursday but Veracuz staved off
elimination
with a 9-8 triumph as Gomez earned some redemption with a walkoff
single that
scored Alexei Amarista with the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth.
Juarez
hit five homers and Liddi went deep four times for the Leones in the
series.
GUADALAJARA
def. UNION LAGUNA, 4 games to 3
Both Union Laguna and Tijuana stayed
alive with wins Saturday to force Game Sevens in their respective
series
Sunday. Nick Torres had three hits (including a ninth-inning homer) and
scored
three runs for the Algodoneros in a wild 13-11 win at Guadalajara. The
Cottoneers beat the top-seeded Mariachis twice in three games during
the week
in Torreon.
Guadalajara clobbered the hosts,
12-2, last Tuesday as Johnny Davis went 4-for-5 to key a 17-hit
Mariachis outburst.
Laguna came back with wins on Wednesday and Thursday, starting with a
10-2
clobbering that saw the Algodoneros break open a 4-2 game with six
eighth-frame
runs as Ciro Norzagaray sliced a two-run, bases-loaded single to cap a
two-hit,
three-ribbie night. Thursday's game ended with a 5-4 Cottoneers victory
with
Carlos Rivero's solo homer breaking a 4-all tie and Jenrry Mejia
tossing a
scoreless ninth for the save (despite needing 20 pitches to do it).
Mejia went
1.2 innings Saturday in Guadalajara for his third save of the series.
Sunday's
game was a 2-2 classic until the bottom of the eighth, when the
Mariachis
scored five runs, including a three-run homer by Niko Vasquez off Mejia
to
break it open. Fernando Cruz pitched a scoreless ninth to seal the 7-2
win and
end the series.
TIJUANA
def. AGUASCALIENTES, 4 games to 3
Meanwhile, Tijuana held off an upset
loss to Aguascalientes Saturday with a 5-4 win in eleven innings at
home.
Daniel Castro's walkoff single scored pinch-runner Junior Lake with the
winning
run for the Toros, who got three hits (including a two-run homer) from
Leandro
Castro during the contest. The Rieleros earlier took two of three
midweek games
at home and opened a 3-games-to-1 series lead before TJ won the next
two.
Tuesday's tilt featured a big game from Ags centerfielder Jay Austin
(3-for-5
with a double and three RBIs) in a 6-5 win over the Toros. On
Wednesday, the
Algodoneros built a 5-1 lead and then held on to take a 5-4 triumph
behind Marc
Flores' two-run homer in the second and Michael Wing's two-run single
in the
fifth. T
Tijuana avoided elimination with a
5-0 shutout Thursday, with Joe Van Meter starting things off with 6
scoreless
innings and Fernando Rodney ending them by striking out the side in the
bottom
of the ninth. Peter O'Brien doubled, tripled and drove in three for the
Bulls
in the win to send the series back to the border city. After Saturday's
win,
the Toros closed out the Rieleros Sunday with a 6-4 victory in which
Gabriel
Gutierrez' two-out double off Daniel Guerrero broke a 4-4 tie by
doubling in
Isaac Rodriguez while Gutierrez plated an insurance run moments later
on
Leandro Castro's single. Rodney made things interesting in the top of
the ninth
by loading the bases before retiring the last two Aguascalientes
batters to end
the game and series.
The division semis will open with
four games Tuesday night. In the LMB South, Mexico City will open their
best-of-7 set with Lucky Loser Veracruz at home and Yucatan will take
on
Tabasco in Merida. In the LMB North, Tijuana will open their series
with
Monclova in the border city while Guadalajara is at Estadio
Panamericano to
host an opener against Aguascalientes, who is the division's Lucky
Loser by
virtue of finishing a half-game ahead of Union Laguna during the
regular
season.
EX-TOROS
SKIPPER VIZQUEL NAMED IN SEXUAL HARASSMENT SUIT
Things just keep getting tougher for
Hall of Fame candidate Omar Vizquel. The former shortstop, who won
eleven Gold
Gloves and collected 2,877 hits over a 24-year MLB career, was hit with
a
sexual harassment lawsuit in the United States within days of parting
company
with the Mexican League Tijuana Toros and months after his wife Blanca
filed
domestic violence charges against him.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, an
autistic former batboy for the Class AA Birmingham Barons (who Vizquel
managed
in 2019) alleged that Vizquel exposed his penis “at least five
occasions” in
the team's clubhouse. According to the lawsuit, Vizquel came out of a
shower
naked on August 22, 2019 and handed the man a bar of soap, demanding
that he
“wash my damn back!” The accuser says he was “humiliated, intimidated
and
scared of what would happen if he disobeyed” and “complied with
Vizquel's
request.”
The man, now 25, did not return to
work after the alleged incident and the lawsuit states, “at this point,
he was
constructively discharged, as no reasonable person would have returned
to that
work environment after what had happened.” The suit was filed in United
States
District Court in Alabama. The suit also accuses the Barons and their
parent
Chicago White Sox organization of violating the Americans with
Disabilities Act
and seeks back payments and damages. No criminal charges have been
filed
against Vizquel in connection to the batboy’s claims. Neither Vizquel
nor his
attorney have commented.
According to Joshua Rhett Miller of
the New York Post, the former batboy (who has not been named)
also
alleges that Vizquel had “targeted” him for sexual harassment because
of his
disability. The man also claims Vizquel told him in June 2019 that he
was
homosexual and telling him in the dugout, “I just want you to know that
I’m
gay” and “I like guys.”
In contrast, a writer for the TodayIn24 website who simply goes by the name Bonnie is not a Vizquel supporter but talked to two Birmingham players that season: “More jokes are made in clubhouses than anywhere else. And that’s why, since Vizquel doesn’t answer, I called two players who were from the Barons of 2019, the year of the indictment.
“One of them told me, 'Omar used to
make up jokes of many kinds against all of us and we laughed a lot.'
And the
other: 'I remember that batboy, great boy. We all loved him very much,
even
Vizquel. And having his back washed has nothing to do with sex.“
In a statement, the White Sox said:
"After first learning of an alleged incident in late August 2019,
Chicago
conducted an internal investigation that resulted in the termination of
the
organization's relationship with Vizquel. Because this is active
litigation, at
this time the White Sox will not comment further regarding the
allegations
included in this lawsuit.”
The 54-year-old Venezuelan had
piloted the Barons to a 64-72 record his first year in Birmingham after
leading
Class A Winston-Salem to a 84-54 mark and the Carolina League playoff
semifinals in 2018, earning Manager of the Year honors. Vizquel was
hired to
manage Tijuana for 2020 but the season was canceled due to the Wuhan
virus.
This year, he had the Toros in second place in the LMB North with a
32-22 when
he was relieved of his duties on July 26.
Vizquel was accused last year by his
wife, Blanca, of multiple cases of physical abuse. He was arrested once
but was
not charged. Vizquel has denied abusing his wife, who filed for divorce
last
year. Major League Baseball has acknowledged investigating his personal
and
professional conduct, although he has not been employed by an MLB
organization
since the White Sox fired him. The investigation remains open,
according to a
source.
Vizquel became eligible for election
to the Hall of Fame in 2018 and was named on 37 percent of the BBWA
ballots his
first year. He rose to 42.8 percent and then 52.6 percent the following
two
years before dropping to 49.1 percent last winter a month after the
domestic
abuse allegations surfaced. He has six years' worth of balloting left
before
his election is handed over to the Veterans Committee.
BUFFALOES
SIGN MEXICAN PITCHER VARGAS TO NPB CONTRACT
Cesar Vargas' excellent adventure in
Japan continues. The pitcher from Puebla, who made seven MLB starts for
San
Diego in 2017, has reached an agreement with the Pacific League's
first-place
Orix Buffaloes, according to Nikkei Sports.
It's been an eventful year for the
29-year-old righty, who missed the 2020 Mexican League season after
going 8-6
with a 4.34 ERA over 32 games (including 18 starts)
for Monterrey in 2019. Vargas spent an eighth
Mexican Pacific League season with Hermosillo last winter and was 3-0
with a
2.86 ERA in seven starts.
He began the current Liga season
with Monterrey in May and went 1-0 and 2.70 in two starts before
heading to
Japan to pitch for the Ibaraki Astro Planets of the independent
Baseball
Challenge League. In eleven outings as a teammate of former LMB and LMP
outfielder Dariel Alvarez and new Veracruz Aguilas pitcher Kodai
Hamaya, Vargas
went 5-2 with a 1.60 ERA. Alvarez was also recently picked up by the
SoftBank
Hawks and batted 0-for-4 in his first game for the defending Japan
Series
champions.
The 6'2” 237-pound Vargas also
pitched for Mexico in the Tokyo Olympics earlier this month, making
scoreless
appearances in losses to host Japan and Israel and retiring all four
batters he
faced (two on strikeouts).
Vargas was signed by the New York
Yankees as a 17-year-old in 2009 and spent seven summers in the
American League
club's system, mostly as a reliever. He then spent 2016 and 2017 with
the
Padres organization, going 0-3 with a 5.03 ERA in seven starts for the
parent
club. After playing as a Nationals minor leaguer in 2018, Vargas moved
back
south of the border to play for Monterrey in 2019. During that time, he
played
eight winters for Hermosillo (including the last six in a row), going
14-9 with
a 3.81 ERA for the Naranjeros in 114 appearances, 92 out them out of
the
bullpen.
With his initial outing for his new team, Vargas will become the first Mexican-born player to appear in NPB this season after Christian Villanueva played for the Nippon Ham Fighters in 2020. Heading into the weekend, the Buffaloes (who split their home games between Kobe and Osaka) led the Pacific League with a 43-34 record plus 11 ties, a game-and-a-half ahead of the 42-36-11 Rakuten Golden Eagles.