Could David slay Goliath again?
Behind a big night from cleanup hitter Willie Calhoun, the Charros de Jalisco took a 3-1 series lead on the Sultanes de Monterrey with a 6-4 win in game four of the Serie Campeonato, putting them one win away from the Serie del Rey, the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s title series.
Calhoun went 4-for-5 with two homers, three RBIs and three runs scored, hitting a solo homer in the fifth that gave the Charros the lead for good, another solo shot in the seventh, and an RBI single in the ninth to add an insurance run for Jalisco.
Jalisco got on the board early, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single from Kyle Garlick that scored Michael Wielansky and a bases-loaded walk to Josh Stowers that scored Calhoun.
The Sultanes evened the game in the bottom of the second, with Zoilo Almonte scoring on Sebastian Elizalde’s double to right field and a single by Christopher Escarrega that scored Elizalde.
But Calhoun’s homers in the fifth and seventh, and a sixth-inning groundout by Carlos Mendivil scored Dwight Smith Jr., and through seven, the Charros had a 5-2 lead.
Josh Lester’s solo homer in the eighth was too little, too late, for Monterrey, and a ninth-inning rally netted the Sultanes a single run on a base hit from Elizalde that scored Almonte again to make it 6-4.
Luis Ivan Rodriguez went five innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out one and making a great play at the plate in the first, covering after a wild pitch to get Gustavo Nunez.
¡Le cerraron la puerta! 🚪
Rodríguez 🤠 se la jugó con jugada en home y deja fuera al corredor para colgar el cero 🔒 en la entrada. #CienAñosSiendoElRey👑 pic.twitter.com/9ayoSExXrv
— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) September 5, 2025
The Charros have a chance to close out the series and advance to the Serie del Rey Friday night at 9:30 p.m. EDT. Zac Grotz will start for Jalisco against Monterrey’s Nolan Kingham. Should the Charros, who finished sixth in the Zona Norte, win, it would be their second playoff series win over the first-place Sultanes this postseason.
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 5, Piratas de Campeche 4 – The Diablos Rojos never trailed, but they let the Piratas de Campeche make it interesting.
Jose Marmolejos got Mexico on the board with a solo homer in the second, and the Reds got three more in the third, starting with Jose Pirela scoring on a wild pitch. With runners on first and third, the Diablos got a double steal, with Allen Cordoba taking second and Carlos Sepulveda stealing home during Robinson Cano’s at-bat. Cano then singled to right, scoring Cordoba to make it 4-0.
Brett Auerbach got Campeche on the board in the sixth with a solo homer, his first of two on the evening, and Cal Mitchell’s two-run single got the Piratas within a run.
In the top of the ninth, a single by Cordoba scored Jose Pirela to make it 5-3.
Auerbach’s second homer of the evening, a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth, wasn’t enough for Campeche.
With a 3-2 series lead, the Serie Campeonato heads back to Mexico City, where game six will begin on Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. Starting pitchers have yet to be announced.
Serie del Rey Schedule Adjusted – The schedule for the Serie del Rey has been pushed back a day due to weather delays earlier in the playoffs. The series will now begin on Sept. 10 in the winner of the Zona Sur’s ballpark, with game two on Sept. 11. Games three, four, and five will be Sept. 13-15 in either Jalisco or Monterrey, with games six and seven scheduled for Sept. 17-18 in either Mexico City or Campeche.
Where to Watch – All LMB games are streamed on LMB.tv for a fee. The series between Monterrey and Jalisco is streamed live for free on YouTube via Claro Sports.
Serie Campeonato Full Schedule
All times Eastern Daylight Time
* – If Necessary
August 30
Piratas de Campeche 4, Diablos Rojos del Mexico 2
August 31
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 6, Piratas de Campeche 4
Charros de Jalisco 11, Sultanes de Monterrey 9
September 1
Charros de Jalisco 6, Sultanes de Monterrey 3
September 2
Piratas de Campeche 5, Diablos Rojos del Mexico 3
September 3
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 7, Piratas de Campeche 5
Sultanes de Monterrey 3, Charros de Jalisco 1
September 4
Diablos Rojos del Mexico 5, Piratas de Campeche 4
Charros de Jalisco 6, Sultanes de Monterrey 4
September 5
9:30 p.m. – Charros de Jalisco at Sultanes de Monterrey – Game 5*
September 6
6 p.m. – Piratas de Campeche at Diablos Rojos del Mexico – Game 6*
September 7
4 p.m. – Piratas de Campeche at Diablos Rojos del Mexico – Game 7*
7 p.m. – Sultanes de Monterrey at Charros de Jalisco – Game 6*
September 8
9:30 p.m. – Sultanes de Monterrey at Charros de Jalisco – Game 7*
Photo: Willie Calhoun celebrates one of two homers he hit in game five of the Serie Campeonato. The Charros won 6-4 behind Calhoun’s 4-for-5 night. (Photo courtesy of the Charros de Jalisco)
