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B a s e b a l l
M e x i c o
Monday,
June 28, 2021
TEN
SUSPENSIONS AFTER BRAWL IN TIJUANA; GIL OUT IN YUCATAN
The reeling Aguascalientes may have
a 10-19 record after losing seven of their last ten games, but the
Rieleros
seem to be making up in feistiness what they lack in wins. The Mexican
League
team made headlines across the country after manager Luis Carlos Rivera
bloodied shortstop Richy Pedroza during a June 12 clubhouse
confrontation that
also involved third baseman Michael Wing. All three were fined by the
LMB,
Pedroza was placed on the team's reserve list shortly after the
incident and
Wing didn't return to the lineup until last week.
The Railroaders found themselves in
another dust-up last Wednesday, this time on the playing field. During
the
eighth inning of a 5-3 loss in Tijuana, Aguascalientes reliever Brandon
Quintero drilled Toros batter Gabriel Gutierrez with a pitch,
precipitating a
heated discussion and an ensuing bench-clearing brawl between the two
teams.
While replays show the usual milling around seen in such confrontations
in
baseball, the LMB office in Mexico City saw fit to fine and/or suspend
11
combatants from both teams, with the two principle figures receiving
stiff
sentences.
For the Rieleros, Quintero was
suspended six games and fined 28,340 pesos for plunking Gutierrez but
starting
pitcher Ernesto Zaragosa was sent to the cooler for eight games on top
of his
28,340 peso fine for coming back on the field to punch and kick Toros
players
during the fight. Catcher Francisco Cordoba was fined 14,470 pesos and
suspended two games for hitting Tijuana's Jose Guadalupe Chavez after
the
latter was hit by a pitch in the sixth inning, while manager Rivera was
fined
14,470 pesos and suspended one game for ordering his pitchers to throw
at Toros
batters.
Interestingly, Tijuana came out on
the short end even though they were the targets. Gutierrez was
suspended ten
games and fined 45,510 pesos after trying to hit Rieleros players with
his bat
and batting helmet while Chavez was ordered to sit out two games and
pay 14,470
in fines for punching Cordoba in the sixth frame. Three other Toros
players
(Ricky Alvarez, Junior Lake and Peter O'Brien) were each fined 14,470
pesos and
suspended for one game while pitcher Brennan Bernardino was fined 7,085
pesos
but not suspended for throwing punches after things had seemingly
calmed down.
Two days before the Rieleros and
Toros engaged in their tag-team bout, the Yucatan Leones decided to
make a
change by jettisoning manager Geronimo Gil. The decision to let the
former
Major League catcher go was somewhat curious, as the Leones were 14-11
and in
third place in the LMB South standings, two games behind leaders Mexico
City,
when Gil was fired (with the usual thanks and best wishes from the
team's front
office).
Gil took over the Leones during the
2019 season and led them to a 24-11 record over their last 25 games,
then took
them to the Serie del Rey before losing to Monclova. Yucatan began this
season
by winning their first six games, but losing 11 of their next 19
contests and
managing in Mexican baseball is a “what-have-you-done-for-me-lately?”
business.
Salon de la Fama member Chico Rodriguez was hired as a bench coach the
day Gil
was let go, yet another curious move because nobody was announced as
the new helmsman
in Merida. Rodriguez has previously managed six different LMB teams and
may be
running the team but as of Sunday, the team website has made no mention
of a
new manager. Whoever the boss is, Yucatan has gone 3-3 since Gil was
removed.
While the emphasis in the Mexican
League thus far has been on the several MLB veterans dotting team
rosters, a
couple of homegrown teenagers found themselves in the spotlight last
week. The
San Diego Padres have announced the signing of 19-year-old pitcher
Miguel Castro,
a Guasave native whose fastball has hit 92-93 MPH. Padres scout
Emmanuel Rangel
says the young right-hander projects as a starter in the majors.
Castro's LMB
rights are held by the Puebla Pericos while he's on the reserve list of
Mexican
Pacific League's Los Mochis Caneros.
Another teen hurler, Alejandro
Armenta, made his debut for Quintana Roo last Tuesday just days before
his 17th
birthday. A product of Los Mochis, Armenta started the Tigres' series
opener in
Cancun against Puebla and tossed a scoreless first inning, striking out
the
Pericos' David Olmedo-Barrera for the second out. The 5'9” 188-pound
righty
threw strikes on 13 of his 19 pitches before being pulled for veteran
Javier
Solano at the beginning of the second frame.
In the Mexican League standings,
Tijuana has won eight of their past ten games to go to 23-8 on the
season,
pulling into a tie for first in the LMB with Guadalajara. Defending
champion
Monclova is third at 20-13 while Saltillo holds fourth with a 19-14
mark.
Mexico City has a two-game lead over Puebla in the LMB South with a
21-10
record. The Pericos are 19-12, Yucatan is third at 17-14 while Veracruz
is a
half-game behind the Leones at 17-15.
Saltillo's
Henry Urrutia has taken the lead in the batting race with a .441
average, seven
points ahead of Durango's Tito Polo (.434). Three players are tied for
the home
run lead with 10 longballs each: Peter O'Brien (Tijuana), Xavier
Batista (Leon)
and Puebla's Olmedo-Barrera. O'Brien's Toros teammate, Leandro Castro,
is well
in front of the RBI derby with 44, ten more than Urrutia. Isaac
Rodriguez of
Tijuana leads with 15 stolen bases.
Guadalajara's
Masaru Nakamura (5-0) tossed six innings of one-run ball in a 6-3 win
over
Union Laguna last Wednesday to become the LMB's first five-game winner.
Monterrey's Matt Tenuta's 1.50 ERA is tops among Liga starters and
three
closers are tied for first with nine saves apiece: Guadalajara's
Fernando Cruz,
Jenrry Mejia of Laguna and Tijuana's Fernando Rodney. Rodney (1.13) is
the only
one of the trio with an ERA under 5.00.
DOMINICANS
WIN PUEBLA QUALIFIER, EARN FINAL OLYMPIC BERTH
The Dominican Republic has emerged
from the Final Olympic Qualifier as the sixth and final member of the
field
that will compete for a gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. The
Dominicans defeated Venezuela, 8-5, Saturday at Estadio Hermanos Serdan
in
Puebla, where the Qualifier was moved after the World Baseball Softball
Confederation determined that conditions at the original venue in
Taiwan were
unsafe for hosting the event. Taiwan's national team later pulled out
of the
Qualifier in Puebla for similar reasons. With the win, the DR will face
Mexico
in the Olympic opener on July 30.
CourtesyRunner.com editor Bob Broughton, a
Canadian now
residing in Guanajuato, attended the final three days of the Qualifier
in
Puebla and wrote this report on Saturday's final game:
The Dominican Republic (4-0 in the
tournament) defeated Venezuela (2-2) 8-5 at the Estadio de Béisbol
Hermanos
Serdan in Puebla, Mexico. The Dominican Republic took the sixth and
final spot
in the Tokyo Olympics with a six-run fourth inning.
Venezuela opened the scoring in the
top of the second inning with a three-run “no doubt” home run in the
top of the
second inning by RF Diego Rincones (Giants organization).
Venezuela
loaded the bases with two out in the top of the third inning. DR
relieved
starter RHP Radhamés Liz (Leones de Yucatán) with RHP Jhan Mariñez, and
he got
a fly out to leave the bases loaded.
The bottom of the third started with
a double play. Venezuela starter LHP Yapson Gomez (Tigres de Quintana
Roo)
walked CF Emilio Bonifacio, and was replaced by RHP Eduardo Paredes.
Paredes
was greeted with a two-run home run by DH Melky Cabrera, and Venezuela
led 3-2
after three innings.
DR took the lead for good in the
bottom of the fourth. The inning started with singles by 1B Juan
Francisco and
LF Johan Mieses (Red Sox organization). Francisco scored on a double by
3B
Diego Goris (Aguilas de Cibaenas). SS Ramón Torres then hit a popup
that was
mishandled by SS Engelb Vielma (Navigantes de Magallanes) and Mieses
scored,
giving DR a 4-3 lead. The play was reviewed for possible baserunner
interference, but Torres was given the hit. C Charlie Valerio (Sioux
Falls
Canaries) hit an RBI double. The play at second was close, but it was
reviewed,
and Valerio was ruled safe. 5-3 DR.
The winning run came on a two-RBI
single by 2B Gustavo Nuñez (Tigers organization). Bonifacio hit a
sacrifice fly
for the sixth run of the inning, and DR led 8-3 after four innings.
In the top of seventh, DH Danry
Vásquez (Rieleros de Aguascalientes) hit what appeared to be an
inside-the-park
home run but after a review, it was ruled a ground rule double. Vasquez
scored
anyway on a single by LF Alexander Palma (Brewers organization). SS
Vielma made
a great play on a ground ball by Mieses to end the bottom of the
seventh, with
DR up 8-4.
In the top of the eighth, Julio
Rodríguez (Mariners organization) made a great catch in right field on
fly ball
by RF Diego Rincones (Giants organization). It saved a run, and the
inning
ended with a double play.
In the top of the ninth, Venezuela got one more run on an RBI double by Vasquez with two out. The game ended on a ground out, with a final score of 8-5.
LHP Darío Álvarez (Algonderos de
Unión Laguna), who came in in the top of the fourth and retired all
three
batters that he faced, got the win. RHP Harold Chirinos (Brewers
organization),
who came in in the fourth inning and didn’t record an out, got the
loss.
Cabrera finished 1-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Goris finished
2-for-4
with a double and an RBI. Palma went 3-for-5 with an RBI for Venezuela.
Attendance was approximately 2,691.
PLAYER
NOTES:
*Torres
played two seasons for the Royals, had a career average of .225.
*Cabrera
played 15 seasons in the Major Leagues with nine teams; he was an
All-Star in
2012.
*Liz
played
four seasons in the Major Leagues, mostly for the Orioles. His career
record
was 7-12, 6.94 ERA.
*Mariñez
played five seasons in the Major Leagues with seven teams, had a record
of 1-5,
3.56 ERA.
*Bonifacio
played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues with eight teams, had a career
average
of .256.
*Francisco
played six seasons in the Major Leagues with four teams, had a career
average
of .236, with 48 home runs.
*Álvarez
played four seasons in the Major Leagues with three teams, had a record
of 6-1,
5.06 ERA.
*Paredes
played two seasons with the Angels, had a record of 0-1, 5.53 ERA, 32
strikeouts.
*Vielma
had a
cup of coffee with the Orioles, batted .143.
PROCESO: CASTRO
DETAILS
OLYMPIC TEAM FRUSTRATIONS
Myriad issues surrounding the
Mexican baseball team's pending trip to Japan for the Tokyo Summer
Olympics
have focused a spotlight on the lack of cohesion between the team and
federal
organizations charged with making sure their historic first appearance
in
Olympic competition is properly funded.
Beatriz Pereyra's deep dive in the
June 13 issue of Proceso
includes an interview with fired Verdes Grande manager Juan Castro. The
following is an edited Google translation of the Pereyra piece, a long
and at
times convoluted) take on the situation, but a necessary one because it
delves
into something more layered than a Walla Walla onion:
The lack of public resources to
cover the expenses of preparing the Olympic baseball team has already
caused a
crisis that led to the firing of manager Juan Castro, but does not
solve the
execrable way the president of the Federation Mexicana de Beisbol
(FEMEBE),
Enrique Mayorga, and the director of the National Commission for
Physical
Culture and Sports (CONADE), Ana Guevara, have behaved with the Mexican
team.
Even though President Andrés Manuel
López Obrador personally commissioned her to monitor the baseball team
on time,
Guevara did not dispersed government money or attend to the needs of a
team
that aspires to win a historic medal for the country.
Less than 15 days before the Mexican
nine travels to Japan, none of the players on the long list (where
there are
around 105 names) has undergone an anti-doping control applied by the
National
Anti-Doping Committee (CNA) or by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
so those
who are clean will attend.
Given the failure of Mayorga and
Guevara, the Mexican Baseball League (LMB) has already taken control of
the
national team, but no one knows if the money required to cover expenses
will be
provided by the club owners or if, finally, CONADE will put government
resources on the table.
For now, the LMB is operating with
the expenses that are being generated, the clubs will loan their
players and
pay them as if they were playing normally in the season and sponsors
New Era
will provide the uniforms and equipment.
On Friday, June 11, the LMB
announced that the FEMEBE appointed as manager of the Olympic team Benj
Gil,
skipper of the iGuadalajara Mariachis. Gil is a former Major League
Baseball
player who has won four titles in five seasons of winter baseball with
the
Culiacan Tomateros, two of them consecutive.
Gil, 48, will lead the first
representative of Mexico in Olympic baseball and fight for a medal
against
Japan, South Korea, Israel, the United States and the Dominican
Republic, who
won the recent final qualifer in Puebla.
The schism in the baseball team
began long before June 5, when, through a telephone link, both Mayorga
and the
president of the LMB, Horacio de la Vega informed manager Juan Gabriel
Castro
and Olympic team GM Kundy Gutiérrez that they would be relieved of
their
positions.
On that Saturday night, the team
that both Castro and Gutierrez had been building for months broke.
Unhappy
about a host of unfulfilled promises, including the payment of their
fees and
the coaching staff they have been working with, Castro and Gutiérrez
demanded
(not without reason) the money as well as help with a series of
procedures such
as FEMEBE paying a bond owed to the Major League Baseball office to be
able to
negotiate the loan of Mexican players who belong to MLB organizations.
More than once the duo threatened to
not deliver information that, scratching with their own nails, they
generated
during long hours of work. They also showed the possibility of not
attending
the Olympic joust.
Despite being the head of national
teams in the country, Enrique Mayorga acted as a “zero to the left.” He
was not
able to arrange for CONADE to give him the money budgeted for the
Olympics nine
but he also did not want to accept in the FEMEBE account the 2.5
million pesos
that owners of five LMB clubs offered as a loan until the government
resources
were released.
Thus, in the face of Mayorga's
ineffectiveness, the LMB wanted to solve the problem of lack of money
but it
couldn't. Seeing this, Castro and Gutiérrez cut off all communication
with de
la Vega and decided to solve it by taking up a collection with
companies in the
United States and Mexico, which upset all parties (especially Mayorga)
as it
seemed in bad taste.
“He didn't want us to do it,” Castro
said in an interview with Proceso. “This was better because if we could
collect
that money, we would no longer need the CONADE budget. We saw it as
helpful
that they did not have to worry about giving us a budget, but he told
us not to
do it."
The solitary confinement began on
April 30 when Castro sent a letter telling de la Vega that they would
no longer
discuss anything with him, since the LMB did not have the capacity to
resolve
the economic issue.
The silence that lasted throughout
May resulted in Mayorga finally convincing Castro and Gutiérrez to take
a phone
call, during which Mayorga had De La Vega to thank both the manager and
the GM
of the selection.
Castro says, “Mayorga turned things
over to Horacio because he did not have enough - I cannot say the word
here- as
manager of FEMEBE to give us that news because we were working with
him, not
with the League. Mayorga had to ask other people to tell us the news.
“We answered everything they asked
about why we no longer wanted to continue with the national team, then
they
hung up on us. They never told us clearly the reason they were going to
remove
us from the national team.”
PEREYRA: “Do you recognize that when
you refused to hand over the short list of players and other
information that
they felt it was blackmail; that they conditioned your participation
and that
when they felt cornered, they decided that?”
CASTRO: “Maybe, but it was not the
first time that we told them that if they did not pay us, we would not
deliver
information and the list). After they said that they were going to pay
us,
because the LMB was already going to give the money, we put the members
of the
coaching staff back to work and they made us deliver certain
information. In
three days we collected passports, as there were players who didn't
have them,
and Kundy moved in with his contacts at the consulates to get the
papers ready.
Then, after a few days, they tell us that they can't pay us.
“We felt that they were using us to
get the information from us. That is why we said 'from now on, we are
not going
to give you anything' because, to begin with, the WADA anti-doping
tests were
not carried out to know who is clean of prohibited substances to be
able to
reduce the list. Then we couldn't even talk to the managers of the
major league
teams to ask the players. They (Mayorga and de la Vega) demanded a list
of 50
players and how we were going to do it without those two conditions.
That's why
we said: 'If they don't pay us, we won't give them the list,' but we
couldn't
do it because giving names without the missing information would have
been
incorrect.”
Currently the infield coach for the
Philadelphia Phillies, Castro says they were surprised to learn that
"the
team" would play two exhibition games in Mexico City: “We told them
that
those games had nothing to do with the National Team because we don't
have the
players ready and the coaching staff wasn't going to be able to be
there. I
found out that it was going to be a selection of LMB players called the
'Olympic team' and we said no. I don't know if they liked that answer."
Castro says that no one informed them
that those games will be held at the request of President López
Obrador. “If it
is something that the president wants to do it is respected, but if I
wouldn't
be the manager nor have selected players, then it is not the Olympic
team.”
In fact, to carry out those
exhibition games (the opponents were
Venezuela and the Dominican Republic), LMB clubs will have to loan at
least one
star player just as the first month of a season cut to 66 games is
being
played.
The reason why the LMB could not
lend FEMEBE the 2.5 million pesos is because Mayorga refused to sign a
loan
agreement with the league to receive the money, due to the uncertainty
that
CONADE would reimburse him that money.
“After months of battling,” Castro
claimed, “Horacio told us 'I have the money and if they'd like, I'll
deposit it
tomorrow.' We instantly sent him the necessary documentation but then
he told
us no, it couldn't be done like that. The only way was to deposit to
FEMEBE.
Mayorga was not going to accept that and with good reason, because he
did not
know if he was going to receive the funds from CONADE or if he was
going to be
left with a debt."
Neither Mayorga nor Gutiérrez did
not respond to an interview request made by this reporter while de la
Vega did
not want to address the issue.
In statements with El Jonronero, a
digital medium in Culiacán, Gutiérrez spoke about what happened.
Visibly
annoyed, he said that this was the end of his work with the Mexican
national
team because he was tired of always having to struggle with money and
organization problems.
The most recent thing he suffered
was that Mayorga accepted that Gutierrez and two members of the team's
coaching
staff would travel to Florida to attend the Olympic qualifier, where
the United
States won their ticket to Tokyo. However, Mayorga only bought their
air
tickets and did not provide the threesome a per diem for the trip.
Under these
conditions, they all refused to get on the plane, since there would be
a
precedent that they'd have to pay out of their own pockets for hotels,
meals,
ground transportation and other expenses while FEMEBE would not
reimburse that
money.
Gutiérrez also questioned that how
it is possible that since November 2019, when the national team
qualified for
the Olympic Games during the Premier12 tournament after having beaten
the
United States twice, neither CONADE nor FEMEBE had paid a single peso
but now
there is money for exhibition games in Mexico City.
“Mayorga is responsible for the
exhibition games, how they work and about the resources used,”
Gutierrez told
El Jonronero. “You have to be transparent. The one who bears all the
responsibility is Mayorga and if it was not with government money he
should
have sought the resources, but he remains stuck. In his meetings he
talks about
what he does with his annual budget, but where are his bank accounts?
Let his
associates know. Since Mayorga joined FEMEBE, it is the same: What has
he done
to do this in a better way? He has the obligation to promote baseball
throughout the country.”
Finally, Juan Castro explains that
his intention and that of Gutiérrez was to try to do things in the
correct way
and in order so that there is a solid structure and that the players,
from the
minor teams to the major, attend with pleasure. to the calls and see
that there
is a strong system that works well.
“We never did anything with a negative intention, but to make things change for the better. The decision has already been made and can no longer be reversed. I do not agree, it was unfair, but they decided and it is respected,” concludes Castro.
