The last two teams to capture the Zaachila Cup, awarded to the winner of the Serie del Rey, the championship series of the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol, sit atop the Zona Sur standings as the LMB season approaches the end of its first month.
Sure, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico, at 17-4, are performing as was expected — they’re a literal “superteam,” perhaps as much as one team could possibly be in professional baseball. But the Pericos de Puebla, who won the LMB title in 2023, have gone 9-1 in their last 10 and are just three games back of the Diablos at 14-7.
Over their last 10 games, the Pericos swept a road series from the Bravos de Leon May 2-4, outscoring the Bravos 38-16 over the three-game set, before taking two of three games from the Diablos Rojos at home. This past weekend, the Pericos swept took both ends of a doubleheader on the road at Queretaro and completed the sweep with a 16-3 win on Sunday.
At the plate, the Pericos are productive, pounding out hits at a prodigious pace. Nine players who have appeared in at least 13 games for Puebla are batting over .300, with three — right fielder Rogelio Cobos, third baseman Cristian Adames, and first baseman Estamy Urena — all over .400, and left fielder Phillip Ervin is at .397.
And while they are scoring runs in bunches, the 109 runs they’ve allowed are the third-fewest runs allowed in the LMB, and the fewest of the 10 teams in the Zona Sur. Only Zona Norte powers Monterrey (92) and Tijuana (80) have allowed fewer thus far.
Some of that defensive success comes from pitching, where the Pericos are led by Vladimir Gutierrez, the former National League Rookie of the Year candidate with Cincinnati who has been stellar in his first season south of the border, putting up a 2.96 ERA over 24 1/3 innings in his first four starts. Don’t be surprised if Gutierrez, who’s still just 29, is signed away from Puebla by a Major League Baseball organization looking for a fifth starter or a guy who can pitch in Triple-A and make spot starts in the big leagues.
In addition to Gutierrez, Edgar Santana and Liarvis Breto have been stellar coming out of the bullpen. Santana has a 1.64 ERA in 11 innings of work across 13 appearances, while Breto has a perfect 0.00 ERA in 12 innings over relief work this season.
New Manager in Veracruz – El Aguila de Veracruz fired manager Nestor Rojas and replaced him with Enrique Sanchez on May 9. Rojas went 46-44 in 2024, his first season leading El Aguila, and was off to a 9-9 start before being sent out to pasture. It took all weekend for Sanchez to get his first win — El Aguila lost the first two games of their road series against the Leones de Yucatan before getting an 8-2 win in the series finale Sunday. They’re seven games back of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in the Zona Sur.
Cody Stashak, Kyle McCann Sign With Campeche – Former Minnesota Twins pitcher Cody Stashak and Oakland A’s catcher Kyle McCann inked deals with the Piratas de Campeche last week. Stashak, who last appeared in MLB with the Twins in 2022, threw one inning in the Piratas 3-1 loss to the Diablos Rojos on May 9, allowing a solo homer to Francisco Mejia in the seventh. McCann caught two of the three games in Campeche’s weekend series against Mexico City, going 3-for-10 with two doubles and four RBIs.
Where to Watch –All LMB games are streamed live for a fee on LMB.tv.
Notable Series This Week
May 13-15
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (11-9) at Saraperos de Saltillo (9-12)
Leones de Yucatan (10-11) at Pericos de Puebla (14-7)
Toros de Tijuana (12-8) at Acereros de Monclova (11-10)
May 16-18
Diablos Rojos del Mexico (17-4) at Bravos de Leon (10-11)
Pericos de Puebla (14-7) at Guerreros de Oaxaca (11-10)
Dorados de Chihuahua (11-10) at Charros de Jalisco (11-10)
Photo: Pericos de Puebla pitcher Domingo Jimenez and catcher Yojhan Quevedo celebrate the team’s 6-4 win against the Diablos Rojos del Mexico on May 6. (Photo courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
