Sultanes de Monterrey manager Roberto Kelly, left, and Diablos Rojos del Mexico manager Lorenzo Bundy answer questions at a press conference ahead of the Serie del Rey. (Photo courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico.)
Summer isn’t over yet, but the championship series of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, the Serie del Rey, begins tonight at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City.
For the sixth time, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico will face the Sultanes de Monterrey for the LMB championship, with the winner taking home the Copa Zaachila.
“For me, Sultanes and Diablos Rojos are the two best teams in the League, we are very competitive and we have the hope of finishing this great year with a championship,” said Diablos Rojos manager Lorenzo Bundy at a press conference in Mexico City Monday. “It will be a long series, even seven games.”
The Diablos Rojos were, by far, the best team in the LMB’s regular season, posting a 71-19 record and running away with the Zona Sur title, finishing 20 games ahead of the Conspiradores de Queretaro. The Sultanes, piloted by Panamanian former Major League Baseball outfielder Roberto Kelly, finished atop the Zona Norte with a 53-37 mark, a half game ahead of the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos, who won 54 games but lost 39 over the course of the 93-game regular season.
Over the course of the regular season, the Diablos Rojos went largely untested. Bundy’s club never lost three games in a row until the Serie de Campeonato, when they suddenly found themselves down three games to none and facing elimination in a sweep at the hands of the Guerreros de Oaxaca.
The Diablos, however, settled down and erased the deficit, winning games six and seven in their final at-bats to complete a comeback for the ages and secure a berth in the Serie del Rey. In game seven, Trevor Bauer, whose remarkable regular season propelled the Diablos to the best record in the league, threw four scoreless innings in relief of starter Brooks Hall, striking out five and throwing an immaculate inning.
But Kelly isn’t afraid of Trevor Bauer.
“We’re not thinking about Trevor Bauer,” Kelly said at the press conference. “We’re thinking about the Diablos Rojos… but the Red Devils are a team, not a person. As for my team, I can assure you that at this point there’s no room for fatigue. This is the final that everyone wanted to see. The fans are the ones who are going to win because it will be a long and very exciting series.”
Coming off the relief appearance, Bauer will start game three of the series, the first game that will be played at Estadio Exxon Mobil Super in Monterrey. José Luis Bravo and Erick Leal will start games one and two respectively, and Brooks Hall will start game four.
Kelly’s Sultanes will start Julio Teherán, Tyler Viza, Stephen Tarpley and Jared Lakind in games one through four.
Bundy, who played in Mexico City for the Diablos from 1984-87, hopes to lead Diablos Rojos del México to their first LMB title since the 2014 season.
“Do I feel pressure to lead the Red Devils to their first title in ten years?” Bundy said. “No, I don’t feel pressure. Pressure is for people who are not prepared, we prepare every day, we train hard, that’s why I don’t feel any kind of pressure.”
NOTEBOOK: The Diablos Rojos previous beat the Sultanes in the Serie del Rey in 1994 and 2008, while the Sultanes took the title from the Diablos in 1991, 1995, and 1996. … The Diablos Rojos are returning to the Serie del Rey for the first time since 2014, when they swept the Pericos de Puebla. The Sultanes last appeared in the Serie del Rey in 2022, when they lost to the Leones de Yucatan in seven games. … The Diablos’ Jose Pirela and Jose Marmolejos and the Sultanes’ Asael Sanchez each have five homers in the postseason, good for the lead among players whose teams have yet to be eliminated. Kyle Martin of Oaxaca leads the postseason overall with six homers. … The Serie del Rey will be streamed live on Jonron.Tv, which is available in the United States for a subscription fee.
Serie del Rey Schedule
All game times Eastern Daylight Time
* – if necessary
Tuesday, September 3
10:05 p.m. – Game 1 – Sultanes de Monterrey (Julio Teheran) at Diablos Rojos del Mexico (Jose Luis Bravo)
Wednesday, September 4
10 p.m. – Game 2 – Sultanes de Monterrey (Tyler Viza) at Diablos Rojos del Mexico (Erick Leal)
Friday, September 6
10:30 p.m. – Game 3 – Diablos Rojos del Mexico (Trevor Bauer) at Sultanes de Monterrey (Steven Tarpley)
Saturday, September 7
8 p.m. – Game 4 – Diablos Rojos del Mexico (Brooks Hall) at Sultanes de Monterrey (Jared Lakind)
Sunday, September 8*
8 p.m. – Game 5 – Diablos Rojos del Mexico (TBD) at Sultanes de Monterrey (TBD)
Tuesday, September 10*
10 p.m. – Game 6 – Sultanes de Monterrey (TBD) at Diablos Rojos del Mexico (TBD)
Wednesday, September 11*
10 p.m. – Game 7 – Sultanes de Monterrey (TBD) at Diablos Rojos del Mexico (TBD)
_____
WBN LMB: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mexico/
Watch the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol on Youtube
