A moonshot solo homer from Robinson Cano in the first followed by another by Jose Rondon gave the Diablos Rojos del Mexico all the offense they would need, as they cruised to a 6-1 win over the Lenadores de Las Tunas in the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas championship game Sunday in Mexico City.
In the bottom of the first, Cano launched the 1-0 offering from Andy Vargas 450 feet into the right field bleachers to give the Diablos a 1-0 lead. An inning later, Rondon’s homer to left center gave the Diablos a 2-0 lead.
On the mound, the Diablos pitchers stifled the high-powered offense of Las Tunas. Starter Jose Luis Bravo threw four shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out five. Former Major Leaguer Connor Menez allowed Las Tunas’ only run when Yoelkis Guibert singled home Yuniesky Larduet in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Diablos tacked on two more, getting RBI singles from Jose Marmolejos and Aristedes Aquino.
After Menez exited, Tomohiro Anraku, Trevor Clifton, and Stephen Nogosek each threw a scoreless inning to secure the win. Las Tunas, which scored an astonishing 74 runs in four games leading up to the final, managed just one run on five hits and two walks.
Marmolejos’ sacrifice fly in the seventh made it 5-1, and an RBI single in the eighth by Luis Liberato gave the Diablos their sixth run of the day.
Starter Andy Vargas threw 4 1/3 innings for Las Tunas, allowing four runs on six hits, striking out three and walking five.
With the win, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico became the first Liga Mexicana de Beisbol club to win the BCL Americas, as well as the first host team to play in the final. In the 2023 event, the host Leones de Yucatan were eliminated in the semifinals.
Photo: The Diablos Rojos del Mexico celebrate winning the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas. (Courtesy of WBSC)
