Alfredo Harp Helu, president of Diablos Rojos del Mexico, throws the first ball during an opening season match between Toros de Tijuana and Diablos Rojos in 2015. Harp’s charitable foundation owns both the Diablos Rojos and the Guerreros de Oaxaca in the LMB. (Photo by Miguel Tovar/LatinContent via Getty Images)
Just five three-game series remain in the 2024 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol regular season, and unsurprisingly, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico was the first team to clinch a berth in the playoffs.
The Diablos, atop the Zona Norte with a 60-16 record, punched their ticket to the postseason with an 18-1 victory against the Bravos de Leon in the first game of a doubleheader on July 11, giving them a 56-15 record.
The 2024 playoffs will mark the Diablos’ fourth consecutive playoff berth and their 47th in the 51 seasons since 1973, when the league adopted a playoff format.
New Stadium Coming In Oaxaca – The Guerreros de Oaxaca have played at Estadio Eduardo Vasconcelos since 1996, when Alfredo Harp Helu purchased the Charros de Jalisco franchise and moved the club to Oaxaca.
The club announced on July 12 that the ballpark, built in 1950 as part of the athletic facilities for the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juárez de Oaxaca, will soon be replaced.
✍️🏽FIRMA HISTORIA DE CONVENIO PARA LA CREACIÓN DEL NUEVO ESTADIO DE LOS GUERREROS DE OAXACA🏟️
Oaxaca, Oax. – El día de hoy y teniendo como sede la capital oaxaqueña, se hizo la firma del convenio entre el club de béisbol profesional Guerreros de Oaxaca y el rector de la… pic.twitter.com/lJUcrxkoLd— Guerreros de Oaxaca (@GuerrerosOax) July 12, 2024
The new facility, which will be funded at least partially by the State of Oaxaca, is a significant development for one of Mexico’s poorer states.
“This great agreement symbolizes the union between the two most important organizations of its kind, the UABJO, which is the highest educational institution in our city, and the Guerreros de Oaxaca baseball club, which is the most important organization and with the most tradition… in the state,” the club said in announcing the new project on its X account. “This project will represent a significant investment for the state, with a property that will mark history as one of the most important venues and with impressive infrastructure in the state. This new stadium will provide a great economic benefit for the people of Oaxaca. Furthermore, with this synergy, the Guerreros de Oaxaca club guarantees your stay in the city of Oaxaca for many more years.”
The Guerreros de Oaxaca is owned by the Alfredo Harp Helu Foundation, which also owns the Diablos Rojos del Mexico. Alfredo Harp Helu, whose business interests in banking and telecommunications made him a billionaire, started a baseball academy for young players in Oaxaca that develops players for both the Guerreros and the Diablos Rojos.
Another Week, Another Diablos Record – On July 9, Diablos Rojos first baseman Jose Marmolejos clubbed two homers in the third inning, becoming just the fourth player in Diablos history to accomplish the feat.
¡Histórico! 🙌 José Marmolejos batea dos jonrones en la misma entrada y se convierte en el 4.º jugador en la historia de los @DiablosRojosMX que lo consigue 👹🔥 pic.twitter.com/ypjZntAJ46
— Irving Furlong ⚾ (@irvingrf) July 10, 2024
The first homer was a 422-footer off Felipe Gonzalez that gave Mexico City a 1-0 lead. The second was a 414-foot shot that scored Robinson Cano and gave Mexico City a 6-0 lead. They posted eight runs in the inning on their way to a 12-2 victory.
Playoffs? PLAYOFFS? – The top seven teams in the LMB’s Zona Norte are separated by just seven and a half games, with 15 games remaining in the regular season. The Sultanes de Monterrey (46-30) lead the division by two games over Dos Laredos (45-33), with Union Laguna (43-33) three games back. Monclova (42-34) is four games out of the top spot, while Tijuana (41-36) is a five-and-a-half back of Monterrey. Seventh-place Saltillo (39-38) is seven and a half games out of first and one game out of the last playoff spot, which is held by Aguascalientes (40-37).
The top spot in Zona Sur is all but locked up, with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico 17 full games ahead of second-place Yucatan (40-30). From second place down to seventh in Zona Sur, it’s a logjam, with Queretaro, playing its first season in the LMB, in third at 41-33, one game back of Yucatan. Puebla, the defending Serie del Rey champion, is three and a half back of Yucatan at 39-39, along with Tabasco (40-37). At 38-37, Oaxaca holds the last playoff spot by one game over Veracruz (36-37).
Esta Semana en la LMB—The best series early this week is in the Zona Norte, where the Algodoneros de Union Laguna and the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos will square off in a three-game set that will have implications in the race for the Zona Norte playoffs. Another mid-week series with playoff implications pits Yucatan against Queretaro as the Zona Sur race for second place continues.
Over the weekend, Monterrey and Union Laguna will square off in Zona Norte, while Monclova will face Tijuana. In the Zona Sur, Oaxaca will face the Leones de Yucatan.
You can watch Liga Mexicana de Beisbol on Jonron.tv, YoutubeTV, and LMBenvivo.
