The 93-game regular season in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol is nearing its end. There are just 12 (or fewer, depending upon the team) regular season games remaining on the schedule, but so far, only one playoff spot is locked up.
Unsurprisingly, it’s the top spot in the Zona Sur, which the Diablos Rojos del Mexico have claimed for the second year in a row. The Reds, at 57-24, currently lead the Zona Sur by 13 games over the second-place Guerreros de Oaxaca, who are 45-38.
The LMB playoffs have a unique format, where the top six teams in both the Zona Norte and Zona Sur make the playoffs. The first round is seeded as you would expect, with the regular season division winner facing the sixth-place team, the second-place club facing the fifth-place club, and the third and fourth-place teams each meeting in a best-of-seven series.
That, of course, means that three teams advance by winning the first-round series. It also means that a fourth team is needed for the second round, so the team that loses a first-round series but wins the most games also advances to the second round, where the top remaining seed plays the series loser that advanced and the other two series winners face off, again in a best-of-seven series. The winners face off in the Serie Campeonato, which determines the division’s representative in the Serie del Rey, the league’s championship series.
Were the playoffs to start today, the Diablos would face the Olmecas de Tabasco (39-45) in the first round, with the Guerreros facing El Aguila de Veracruz (39-44) and the Piratas de Campeche (44-39) facing the Pericos de Puebla (39-42) in the Zona Sur.
In the Zona Norte, where no team has clinched a playoff spot nor has any team been eliminated, the first-place Sultanes de Monterrey (51-32) would face the Saraperos de Saltillo (42-41) in the first round, while the second-place Toros de Tijuana (48-35) would face the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (45-39) and the third-place Acereros de Monclova (45-36) would face the fourth-place Algodoneros de Union Laguna (45-38).
Sepulveda Leads Race For Batting Title – Carlos Sepulveda of the Diablos Rojos is carrying a .407 average into the final stretch of the LMB season, and he leads the league with 49 walks and a .517 on-base percentage as well. Now 28, Sepulveda rose as high as Triple-A in the Chicago Cubs organization before returning to play full-time in his native Mexico following the 2022 season, but has continued to show steady improvement at the plate with the Reds over the last two years. He’s played winter ball with both the Yaquis de Obregon and Sultanes de Monterrey, posting a .304/.447/.402 batting line last winter with Monterrey. With another strong winter, Sepulveda might be able to earn himself an invite to a Major League spring training camp.
Brennan Returns In Laredo – The Tecos added former Major Leaguer Brandon Brennan to the active roster on Sunday after he missed the middle of the season. He’s posted a 6.00 ERA in 36 innings of work over eight starts with Laredo this year, but has the ability to be an elite pitcher in the LMB, having posted a 3.69 ERA with Dos Laredos in 2023, a season where he threw 97 2/3 innings over 19 starts.
Notable Series This Week
July 29-31
Piratas de Campeche (44-39) at Diablos Rojos del Mexico (57-24)
Toros de Tijuana (48-35) at Algodoneros de Union Laguna (45-38)
August 1-3
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (45-39) at Saraperos de Saltillo (42-41)
Acereros de Monclova (45-36) at Toros de Tijuana (48-35)
WBN Mexico: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mexico/
Photo: The Diablos Rojos del Mexico have clinched the 2025 division title in the Zona Sur. (Photo Courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
