The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ), officially known as the Mexican Baseball League Banorte for sponsorship reasons, is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country.
The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five teams in each division advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the Serie del Rey, a best-of-seven championship series between the two division champions. The Mexican League has two affiliated developmental leagues, the Liga Norte de México and Mexican Academy League.
Founded in 1925, LMB grew substantially in the immediate post-World War II era thanks to the efforts of Jorge Pasquel, who greatly increased the quality and visibility of the league by luring players from Major League Baseball (MLB). The conflict between the Mexican League and "organized baseball" was resolved in 1955, when the Mexican League joined the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, the predecessor of Minor League Baseball (MiLB), with a Double-A designation; some LMB clubs entered player development contracts with National League teams. Triple-A classification was granted in 1967. As part of a broader reorganization of MiLB, the Mexican League returned to its previous independent status in 2021.
The Mexican League is the ninth-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue in North America, and the second-wealthiest baseball league in the western hemisphere, behind only Major League Baseball. Despite losing Triple-A classification in 2021, it is considered among the more competitive baseball leagues in Latin America.
League organization From 1925 to the 1960s, the league consisted of about six teams each season. The league expanded to eight teams in the 1960s. In 1970, after the circuit had grown to 10 teams, the league was split geographically for the first time. In 1979, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Mexican Baseball League). The newly expanded league featured a 20-team circuit with four divisions. However, after a series of team bankruptcies, the Mexican League was reduced to 14 teams in two divisions.
Although there is a stable core of teams in the league, it is not unusual for clubs to relocate. Often, new incarnations of the teams come about through new owners. Teams also cease after unsatisfactory results or bankruptcy. Since its foundation in 1925, more than 90 teams have passed through the Mexican League, and the only organizations that have remained since their inception are the Sultanes de Monterrey (1939), Diablos Rojos del Mexico (1940), Tigres de Quintana Roo (1955), Saraperos de Saltillo (1970), and Piratas de Campeche (1980). The Acereros del Norte have played uninterrupted since 1982, the Olmecas de Tabasco since 1977, and the Leones de Yucatán since 1979.
Teams
TeamCityStadiumCapacityFounded North Division Acereros de Monclova Monclova, Coahuila Estadio Kickapoo Lucky Eagle 8,500 1974Algodoneros de Unión Laguna Torreón, Coahuila Estadio de la Revolución 7,689 1940 Caliente de Durango Durango City, Durango Estadio Francisco Villa 6,000 2024 Charros de Jalisco Zapopan, Jalisco Estadio Panamericano 16,500 2014 Dorados de Chihuahua Chihuahua City, Chihuahua Estadio Monumental Chihuahua 15,500 1940 Rieleros de Aguascalientes Aguascalientes City, Aguascalientes Parque Alberto Romo Chávez 6,496 1975 Saraperos de Saltillo Saltillo, Coahuila Estadio Francisco I. Madero 11,000 1970 Sultanes de Monterrey Monterrey, Nuevo León Walmart Park 21,803 1939 Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas Parque la Junta 5,000 1940 Laredo, Texas Uni-Trade Stadium 6,000 Toros de Tijuana Tijuana, Baja California Toros Mobil Park 17,000 2004 South Division Bravos de León León, Guanajuato Estadio Domingo Santana TV4 6,500 1978 Conspiradores de Querétaro Huimilpan, Querétaro Estadio Finsus6,5002024 Diablos Rojos del México Iztacalco, Mexico City Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú 20,062 1940 El Águila de Veracruz Veracruz City, Veracruz Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila 7,319 1903 Guerreros de Oaxaca Oaxaca City, Oaxaca Estadio Yu'va 10,500 1996 Leones de Yucatán Mérida, Yucatán Parque Kukulcán Alamo 16,000 1954 Olmecas de Tabasco Villahermosa, Tabasco Estadio Centenario Orsan 6,600 1975 Pericos de Puebla Puebla City, Puebla Estadio Hermanos Serdán 9,200 1938 Piratas de Campeche Campeche City, Campeche Estadio Cruz Azul Nelson Barrera 6,000 1980 Tigres de Quintana Roo Cancún, Quintana Roo Estadio Sherwin-Williams Beto Ávila 10,285 1955
Defunct teams
The league has lost 12 teams since it was established in 1925.
Champions
Team Champions Runners-up Winning seasons Runners-up seasons Diablos Rojos del México 18 17 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Tigres de Quintana Roo 12 6 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Sultanes de Monterrey 10 12 , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , El Águila de Veracruz 6 4 , , , , , , , , Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos 5 7 , , , , , , , , , , Leones de Yucatán 5 5 , , , , , , , , Pericos de Puebla 5 7 , , , , , , , , , , Azules de Veracruz 4 0 , , , – Toros de Tijuana 3 1 , , Alijadores de Tampico 3 0 , , – Algodoneros de Unión Laguna 2 8 , , , , , , , , Saraperos de Saltillo 2 6 , , , , , , Agrario de México 2 2 , , Charros de Jalisco 2 2 , , Tigres de Comintra 2 1 , Cafeteros de Córdoba 2 1 , Piratas de Campeche 2 0 , – Indios de Ciudad Juárez 1 3 , , Broncos de Reynosa 1 2 , Acereros de Monclova 1 2 , Leones de Obras Públicas 1 1 Rieleros de Aguascalientes 1 1 Guerreros de Oaxaca 1 1 Olmecas de Tabasco 1 1 74 Regimiento de Puebla 1 0 – Ocampo de Jalapa 1 0 – Gendarmería de México 1 0 – Policía del DF 1 0 – Chiclets Adams de México 1 0 – Tráfico de México 1 0 – Monte de Piedad de México 1 0 – Petroleros de Poza Rica 1 0 – Bravos de León 1 0 – Club México 0 2 – , Pachuca de Hidalgo 0 2 – , Tuneros de San Luis 0 2 – , Carmona de México 0 1 – Bravo Izquierdo de Puebla 0 1 – Delta de México 0 1 – Comunicaciones de México 0 1 – Lomas de México 0 1 –
Records
Single season batting Player Team Total SeasonBatting average Alfonso Nieto Agricultura de México .476 1937 Willie Aikens Ángeles de Puebla .454 1986 Rick Renteria Charros de Jalisco .442 1991Home runs Chris Carter Acereros de Monclova 49 2019 Ty Gainey Diablos Rojos del México 47 1992 Eduardo Jiménez Saraperos de Saltillo 45 2000RBIs Willie Aikens Ángeles de Puebla 154 1986 Al Pinkston Diablos Rojos del México 144 1960 Ramón Lora Truchas de Toluca 127 1984Hits Miguel Suárez Diablos Rojos del México 227 1977 Al Pinkston Diablos Rojos del México 225 1960 Jimmie Collins Dorados de Chihuahua 206 1979Stolen bases Mike Cole Ganaderos de Tabasco 100 1989 Don Carter Ángeles de Puebla 95 1986 Tommy Hinzo Leones de Yucatán 80 1992
Single season pitching Player Team Total SeasonERA André Rienzo Acereros de Monclova 0.76 2018 Alberto Romo Agrario de México 0.78 1937 Martín Dihigo Rojos del Águila de Veracruz 0.90 1938Wins Silvano Quezada Alijadores de Tampico 16 1973 Francisco Montaño Acereros de Monclova 16 1994Saves Luis Ayala Saraperos de Saltillo 41 1999 José Juan López Broncos de Reynosa 41 2000Strikeouts Ramón López Sultanes de Monterrey 309 1966
History Beginnings of Mexican baseball
Some sources claim that baseball reached Mexican soil because of the US military forces that participated in the US-Mexico War between 1846 and 1848. The last decades of the nineteenth century were beneficial to the baseball boom, while American companies were investing in various sectors of the Mexican economy and their employees were broadcasting the game. The origin of baseball in Mexico City, the capital, dates back to 1887 with the birth of the "Mexican Club", which is undoubtedly the oldest team of the republic. Since the start of the 20th century, baseball has become one of the favorite sports of all of Mexico.
As early as 1925, Mexicans' interest in baseball was such that sports journalist Alejandro Aguilar Reyes and his friend baseball player Ernesto Carmona founded the Mexican League. They had to overcome many difficult obstacles, especially when, on May 26, the rival Mexican Association prepared a "coup" against them, but managed to rebuff it. In the period since, competing leagues have occasionally been formed, but have been absorbed by the LMB, the most famous being Central League in 1979.
Popularity and growth The sport's popularity rose immediately and culminated with the first Mexican-born major leaguers.
During the so-called "first stage of the Mexican League," the league attracted several well renowned players from Cuba and the Negro leagues. Cuban ballplayers Martín Dihigo, Lázaro Salazar, Brujo Rossell, and Agustín Bejerano all played in Mexico at some point. The era was mostly dominated by the teams in the central areas of the country, in and around Mexico City. The first champions were Regimiento 74, a team from Puebla. After that, the Championship was only won by teams from the capital city for a decade, with Agrario de Mexico and Tigres de Comintra dominating with two titles each. In the late 30s, when the first wave of Cuban players arrived, teams from the Gulf coast started dominating the league; they were more attractive to Cuban players given their proximity to their home island, with the Cafeteros de Cordoba and the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz winning titles.
Because of the late foundation of the league, there never was a "dead-ball" era, which helped enhance the sport's popularity quickly. This along with the fact that it was only played on weekends, which allowed for easy following on a game-to-game basis, helped the sport grow.
1946: 22 Major Leaguers move to Mexican League In 1946, 22 players from Major League Baseball, including eight members of the New York Giants, moved to the Mexican League.
These moves were motivated by businessman Jorge Pasquel investing more money to raise the profile of the Mexican League and offering contracts which were in some cases higher than American major league contracts. These moves were also motivated by the anticipation of increased competition from former major leaguers who had been serving in World War II and were now returning home."From Mexico to Quebec: Baseball's Forgotten Giants", SABR (Society for American Baseball Research), published in The National Pastime: Baseball in the Big Apple, Bill Young, 2017.
1949: Landmark ruling of Gardella v. Chandler The U.S. Supreme Court case Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore v. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs held that the baseball leagues and their commissioner are not violating antitrust laws (specifically the Sherman Antitrust Act) when they ban, trade, or otherwise change the playing eligibility of players.
The ruling went untested until the Mexican League was formed. Players who went to play in the Mexican League were blacklisted from Major League Baseball (MLB). One such player, Danny Gardella, was blacklisted because MLB claimed he had violated the reserve clause. On the other hand, Gardella's side claimed he had been fired by Giants player-manager Mel Ott during 1946 spring training because of frequent arguments, primarily about his salary.
During 1948, Gardella brought a claim against Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler, the National League and American League, as well as their presidents (Ford Frick and Will Harridge, respectively). Gardella charged that they were engaged in interstate commerce because the defendants had made contracts with radio broadcasting and television companies that sent narratives or moving pictures of the games across state lines. MLB then settled with Gardella and offered all Mexican League jumpers amnesty, protecting the ambiguity of the antitrust protection.