Six teams remain in the hunt for the final four playoff berths in the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol — three teams for two spots in each division.
In the Zona Norte, the Algodoneros de Union Laguna (47-42) and Charros de Jalisco (45-44) hold the fifth and sixth playoff spots, while the Saraperos de Saltillo (43-46) are in seventh place, two games back of Jalisco.
Down South, the Olmecas de Tabasco (40-49) hold fifth place, the Bravos de Leon (39-49) are in sixth, and the Leones de Yucatan (39-50) are a half-game back of Leon for the final playoff berth.
It all makes for an exciting final series of the regular season.
The Algodoneros de Union Laguna, who have clinched a berth, host the Saraperos de Saltillo starting Monday in a series that will have enormous implications in the playoff race. If the Saraperos can sweet Union Laguna, they’d be 46-46 on the season, while Union Laguna would be 47-45. Combine a Saltillo sweep with a sweep by the Dorados de Chihuahua in their series against the Charros de Jalisco, and the Saraperos are in the playoffs. Anything less than a sweep by Saltillo, though, would likely end the Saraperos’ season, putting Union Laguna and Jalisco in the final two playoff spots in the Zona Norte with the Saraperos on the outside.
In the Zona Sur, the Olmecas de Tabasco (40-49) hold sixth place with three games left to play, but the Bravos de Leon and Leones de Yucatan are knocking on the door. The Olmecas head to Veracruz to face El Aguila (43-46), who have clinched a playoff berth but could still potentially finish tied for fifth place should Tabasco manage a sweep. The Leones de Yucatan (39-50) face the last-place Tigres de Quintana Roo (35-55), while the Bravos (39-49) have the toughest series of the week, facing the first-place Diablos Rojos del Mexico (62-24), who are on a seven-game winning streak. Both the Bravos and Leones need to win at least two games and hope for Veracruz to take at least two games from Tabasco to be assured of a playoff berth.
Seven Straight In CDMX – With a sweep of Tabasco this weekend, the Diablos Rojos del Mexico extended tehir winning streak to seven games. They haven’t lost since July 25, when their archrival Tigres de Quintana Roo scratched out an 8-4 victory in Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu. One more win would assure the Diablos Rojos a second straight season with a .700 winning percentage — they’d be the first team in LMB history to finish over .700 in consecutive seasons.
Give The Kid A Chance – Mikel Nieblas, a native of Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico, made his debut for the Diablos in Sunday’s 10-8 win against Tabasco, pinch hitting for catcher Carlos Perez in the sixth inning before taking over catching duties for the top of the seventh. Nieblas, 16, is a graduate of the Alfredo Harp Helu Baseball Academy.
Monterrey Clinches Top Spot In Zona Norte – A sweep of the Dorados de Chihuahua gave Roberto Kelly’s Sultanes de Monterrey the Zona Norte title for the 2025 season. The Sultanes trailed 3-0 in Sunday’s series finale, but got two runs in the seventh and three more in the eight to get a 5-3 win. They’ll face the team that finishes in sixth place in the first round of the playoffs, which start on August 10 for Zona Norte teams.
A Reminder About the LMB Playoff Format – As we noted last week, 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.
Where to Watch – All LMB games are streamed for a fee on LMB.tv.
Notable Series This Week
August 4-6
Saraperos de Saltillo (43-46) at Algodoneros de Union Laguna (47-42)
August 5-7
Olmecas de Tabasco (40-49) at El Aguila de Veracruz (43-46)
Leones de Yucatan (39-50) at Tigres de Quintana Roo (35-55)
Diablos Rojos del Mexico (62-24) at Bravos de Leon (39-49)
WBN Mexico: https://worldbaseball.com/league/mexico/
Photo: Mikel Nieblas, 16, made his LMB debut for the Diablos Rojos del Mexico Sunday, pinch hitting in the sixth inning and catching the top of the seventh. (Photo courtesy of the Diablos Rojos del Mexico)
