Three innings of work on the final day of the season got Jake Sanchez a place in the history books.
Throwing the final three frames of the Aguilas de Mexicali’s 8-1 win against the Charros de Jalisco on Dec. 30 earned Sanchez the 135th save of his Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico career, passing Isidro Márquez, who held the previous record of 134. Sanchez was eligible for the save despite the score because he pitched three innings to finish the game and was not the winning pitcher.
Sanchez, 35, began his career in the independent Frontier League with Joliet in 2012 before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2013. He made his way to the Oakland A’s organization in 2014, rising as high as Triple-A. He made his LAMP debut with Mexicali in 2015-16, and has pitched nine seasons in the league, all with Mexicali, and has represented Mexico at the Caribbean Series in 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022, 2023 and 2024, where he saved six games as Mexico, and in the 2017 and 2023 World Baseball Classics.
A native of Brawley, Calif., Sanchez also holds the LAMP’s single-season save record, earning 26 saves in 2021-22, and has saved 73 games at El Nido de Las Aguilas. The other 62 saves of his career were earned on the the road.
Following the historic save, Sanchez was presented with the pitcher’s rubber from the mound at El Nido.
The seventh-seeded Aguilas begin the 2025-26 LAMP playoffs this evening at 7:10 p.m. EST, facing No. 2 seed Obregon on the road in the first game of a best-of-seven series.
Photo: Jake Sanchez and the Aguilas de Mexicali pose with the pitcher’s rubber after Sanchez set the career record for saves in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico. (Photo courtesy of the LAMP)
