Five Saltillo pitchers combined for a no-hitter in the Saraperos’ 3-0 win over the Dorados de Chihuahua Saturday night.
It was the first no-hitter in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol this year and the first for the Saraperos since July 25, 2010, when Hector Rodriguez no-hit the Diablos Rojos del Mexico in a 7-0 win, and is just the fourth nine-inning no-hitter in team history.
Kurt Heyer, Deolis Guerra, Mario Meza, Danis Correa, and Ryan Meisinger combined for the no-hitter, with Rusber Estrada catching for Saltillo.
Heyer opened the game, working four innings, walking two and striking out two before handing off the ball to Guerra, who struck out two over two perfect innings. Meza struck out two, working a perfect inning, and was followed by Correa, who struck out one, working a perfect inning. Meisinger came on and earned a three-out save, retiring the side in order in the ninth.
“The team needed a victory of this magnitude,” Saraperos manager Enrique Reyes said following the game. “We are still in the process of getting together, we have a great squad and this achievement will surely help us a lot.”
Diablos Rojos Atop League After Hot Start – With three series, or approximately 1/10th of the 2025 regular season completed, the Diablos Rojos have carried their dominance from last season into 2025.
Sitting atop the Zona Sur with an 8-1 record, the Diablos have a two-game lead over El Aguila de Veracruz (6-3) and the Leones de Yucatan, who are both 6-3. They’ll have a chance to open up a wider lead on Veracruz this week, with El Aguila visiting Mexico City Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
So far, the Diablos Rojos have scored a league-best 90 runs while allowing just 49, with their +41 run differential the best in the league, 15 runs better than the Dorados de Chihuahua, who are second at +26. They score runs in torrents because they reach base, leading the league in on-base percentage at .430, despite only drawing the fourth-most walks in the league. The Diablos bat .361 as a team, .022 better than the next best club, Chihuahua. They’re the only team with an OPS above 1.000, with a 1.032 mark, and their 49 extra-base hits are the best in the league.
On the mound, the Diablos aren’t quite as flashy as they were last year, ranking seventh in the LMB with a 4.67 ERA. Without Trevor Bauer’s dominant presence every fifth day, the club isn’t racking up strikeouts like they did in 2024, but the Diablos’ offense has more than made up for it.
After facing Veracruz, they’ll host Oaxaca (4-5) for a three-game set next weekend.
Castillo Conspiring to Produce For Queretaro – Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo has arrived with the Conspiradores de Queretaro and immediately made an impact, going 6-for-11 in his first four games and driving in five runs.
It’s the second season for Castillo in Queretaro, where the Conspiradores relied on Cuban talent through the team’s first season and continue to do so this year, with six Cuban players — Leonys Martin, Yurisbel Gracial, Yosmany Guerra, Raul Barron, Ronald Bolanos, and Castillo on the roster.
Last year, Castillo batted .351/.360/.608 in 18 games for Queretaro with three homers and 19 RBIs. He played winter ball with the Gigantes de Rivas, batting .351 in 29 games. The Gigantes finished 11-21 in Nicaragua’s Liga Beisbol Profesional Nacional last winter.
Despite Castillo’s production, the Conspiradores, who finished second in the Zona Sur in 2024 with a 50-38 record, are off to a 2-7 start this year.
Notable Matchups This Week In the LMB
April 29 to May 1
El Aguila de Veracruz at Diablos Rojos del Mexico
Saraperos de Saltillo at Sultanes de Monterrey
Olmecas de Tabasco at Pericos de Puebla
May 2-4
Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos at Algodoneros de Union Laguna
El Aguila de Veracruz at Piratas de Campeche
Where to Watch – All LMB games are streamed on LMB.tv for a fee.
Photo: Four pitchers for the Saraperos de Saltillo combined to no-hit the Dorados de Chihuahua in a 3-0 win on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of the Saraperos de Saltillo)
