A view of Parque Kukulkan Alamo in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico during the 2023 Baseball Champions League. The ballpark is the home of the Leones de Yucatan in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol. (Photo: Leif Skodnick/World Baseball Network)
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story indicated that the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol plays a 120-game season. The league is playing a 93-game season in 2024, and this piece has been corrected to reflect that.
Is it time to start wondering how many games the Diablos Rojos del Mexico could win this year?
Through 53 games, the top club in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol is 42-11, having hit a rough patch and “only” gone 7-3 in their last ten games.
The LMB plays a 93-game schedule that concludes in late August, and given their performance so far, a 70-win season is a possibility. Is it likely? Probably not, as the Diablos would have to be 31-9 or better over their remaining 40 games, and baseball, perhaps more than any other sport, shows us how hot batters, pitchers, and teams eventually regress toward the mean.
That the Diablos Rojos are absurdly good this year isn’t a big surprise – they’re led on the mound by a former Cy Young winner in Trevor Bauer and at the plate by a rejuvenated Robinson Cano, who’s slashing .448/.500/.651 with a 1.151 OPS, seven homers and 41 RBI. They also benefit from having an owner, Alfredo Harp Helu, who has built what might be the best ballpark outside the Major Leagues and is willing to spend to bring players like Bauer and Cano to CDMX.
So if – and it’s a big if – the Diablos do manage to stay hot on the Diamante del Fuego for the rest of the season and win 100 games for manager Lorenzo Bundy, it maybe shouldn’t be that big a surprise.
Yucatan’s Stadium Improvements Revealed – In a press conference at Parque Kukulkan Alamo Monday in Merida, Yucatan, details of the ongoing renovation to the home of the Leones de Yucatan were revealed by the mayor of Merida and various dignitaries.
The stadium, a two-level concrete structure, will see its seating capacity increase to 15,000, with more seats added in the upper deck and the bleachers. The stadium held 12,175 before the current renovation.
Outside the ballpark, there will be a new 6,302 square meter entrance plaza, a remodeled main entrance, and two additional entrances on each side of the stadium. The ballpark’s redevelopment also includes an expanded team store, new elevators, and ramps to access the upper deck, new concession stands, and luxury boxes.
The Leones have played at Parque Kukulkan Alamo since 1982, and though the stadium was renovated in 2015, it lacked updated facilities for both team personnel and fans.
The Leones are playing at the hastily-refitted Estadio Víctor Cervera Pacheco in Merida’s Karasin neighborhood while Parque Kukulkan Alamo is renovated.
Travel Problems Delay Series In Yucatan – The series between the Conspiradores de Queretaro and the Leones de Yucatan that was scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday was pushed back a day after the Conspiradores had travel difficulties getting to Merida following their home game against the Tigres de Quintana Roo.
Esta Semana en la LMB – The best series in the LMB this week is a big matchup in the Zona Norte, with the Sultanes de Monterrey (35-19, 1st in Zona Norte) facing the Algodoneros de Union Laguna (31-23, T-2nd in Zona Norte) at home on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
You can watch Liga Mexicana de Beisbol on Jonron.tv, YoutubeTV, and LMBenvivo.
