As 2025 draws to a close, Mexico looks ahead to the Caribbean Series, which will be hosted by the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico for the second year in a row, as well as the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where the national team hopes to improve on its third-place finish in 2023.
Let’s take a moment and look back at the biggest baseball news and events in Mexico in 2025.
Charros de Jalisco Win LAMP Championship – Taking the best-of-seven series 4-2 a win in a 13-inning thriller of a final game, Benji Gil’s Charros de Jalisco won the 2024-25 LAMP title over the Tomateros de Culiacan and advanced to the Caribbean Series.
Mexicali Hosts Caribbean Series, Charros Advance to Championship Game – The 2025 Caribbean Series was held in Mexicali, Baja California, at El Nido de Las Aguilas, the home of the LAMP’s Aguilas de Mexicali. It was the second time Mexicali hosted winter ball’s biggest event, and the Charros de Jalisco provided the hometown fans with a lot to cheer for. The Charros beat Puerto Rico’s Indios de Mayaguez 3-1 in the semifinal before falling 1-0 in the championship game to the Dominican Republic’s Leones del Escogido.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico Win Second Edition of the Baseball Champions League Americas – Robinson Cano crushed a homer in the first, and 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. The second edition of the BCL Americas was again held in the home ballpark of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s defending champion.
Two LAMP Teams Relocate – During winter ball’s offseason, the Sultanes de Monterrey sold their LAMP franchise to an ownership group which relocated the team to the newly-built Coloso del Pacifico in Tepic, Nayarit. It took a little while longer for the Mayos de Navojoa to complete the transfer of the long-running franchise to Tucson, Arizona, but they finally got the deal done — at least on paper — to relocate to Arizona in May.
Them Again? The Diablos Rojos Sweep Charros de Jalisco in Serie del Rey – Having dominated the LMB’s regular season, the Diablos swept the Serie del Rey to win their second consecutive LMB title, and the fifth in a Diablos uniform for Lorenzo Bundy, who won three as a player and now two as manager.
The Diablos won the double with solid starting pitching and stellar relief work, with four relief pitchers — Nick Vespi, Jimmy Yacabonis, J.C. Mejia, and Tomohiro Anraku — shutting down the opposition in the late innings.
“We passed the baton off to one another, and we continue to get the job done,” said Vespi of the Diablos’ bullpen, who earned the win, his fifth of the playoffs, pitching 1/3 of an inning and facing one batter. “[Lorenzo Bundy] has trusted them all year long, and we’ve just thank Skip for putting us in in these situations to win the ballgame for us. … This team is unbelievable. We’re a group, we work together and we love to win.”
He’ll Be Back – Fresh off his second LMB championship with the Diablos Rojos, Robinson Cano announced he’d return for a third season in the capital city at a party at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu celebrating the team’s second title in as many years. Cano hit .372/.426/.533 with a .999 OPS, 14 homers and 86 RBIs while seeing more action as a designated hitter in his age 42 season, and continues to provide a spark to the Diablos’ offense. He’ll have at least one more summer under the Mexican sun.
So About That Team In Tucson… – When the LMB season ended, summer training for the LAMP teams was already underway, and the Tucson Baseball Team played several preseason games in Arizona as part of the annual Mexican Baseball Fiesta, including games at its new home, Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium.
Unfortunately, the Baseball Team began the season on the road, as the team had yet to secure the correct visas for players and staff to work in the United States. So after playing their season opener in Hermosillo, the team… stayed in Hermosillo and played their first home series against the Naranjeros at Estadio Fernando Valenzuela, and then embarked on a season-long road trip. Unsurprisingly, perhaps, the team didn’t fare well on the field with the adversity of never playing home games, but they weren’t eliminated from contention for a playoff spot until the season’s penultimate game.
Surprise! The Caribbean Series Returns to Mexico – As tensions between the United States and Venezuela rose, three of the member leagues of the Confederacion de Beisbol Profesional del Caribes — Mexico’s LAMP, Puerto Rico’s LBPRC, and the Dominican Republic’s LIDOM — balked at traveling to Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela, which was selected to host the 2026 Caribbean Series when San Juan, Puerto Rico backed out in 2024.
Faced with three of the six teams expected to participate saying they wouldn’t be coming, the Charros de Jalisco raised their hand and offered to host the 2026 Caribbean Series at Estadio Panamericano. The CBPC quickly approved the move of the event just six weeks in advance, and Mexico will host the Caribbean Series for the second consecutive year. The last time Mexico held back-to-back Caribbean Series was in 2017 and 2018, when Culiacan hosted in 2017 and the 2018 event was moved from Barquisimeto, Venezuela to Estadio Panamericano in Guadalajara. Mexico also hosted back-to-back Caribbean Series in 1992, when Mazatlan hosted, and 1993, when Hermosillo hosted.
Photo: Robinson Cano is all smiles in the Diablos Rojos dugout after going 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI in an 8-5 win over the Tigres de Quintana Roo. (Photo Courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
