LAMP: Tucson Baseball Team Moves Into Playoff Position With Split of DH Against Hermosillo

If the Tucson Baseball Team can hang on for three more games, they’ll be in the Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico playoffs, a remarkable accomplishment for a team that has played its entire season on the road.

Confronted with visa issues that precluded them from playing any of their 34 scheduled home games at Kino Veteran’s Memorial Stadium in Tucson, where the team planned to relocate after leaving Navojoa, Sonora after the 2024-25 season, the Baseball Team played all 34 scheduled “home” games in the parks of their opponents, going 11-23.

The biggest win of those 11, though, could be their 10-0 thrashing of the Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the second game of yesterday’s doubleheader at Estadio Fernando Valenzuela in Hermosillo, Mexico. With the win, the Baseball team improved to 9-21 in the second half, moving them into a tie for ninth place, where they hold the tiebreaker over the Venados de Mazatlan. Having finished eighth in the first half, finishing ninth in the second half would give Tucson 8.5 playoff points, getting them the eighth and final playoff spot in the LAMP.

They just need to hang on for three more games. When their bus rolls out from Guasave following the end of the regular season’s final game, if the Baseball Team is in the playoffs, you’ve gotta figure that Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again” will be playing on the stereo.

Here’s a look at the playoff possibilities for each team as the final series of the regular season begins tonight.

Tomateros de Culiacan – At 20-10 in the second half, the Tomateros have turned into the Killer Tomatoes since Lorenzo Bundy took over. Having earned just five playoff points with their seventh-place finish in the first half, anything less than first place in the second half means that they won’t have home field advantage in the first round. They’ll likely need to win the series against Nayarit and get a little help from Obregon if they don’t sweep.

Naranjeros de Hermosillo – Juan Castro’s club got seven playoff points in the first half for finishing fourth, and are one game out of first place in the second half at 19-11 and hold the tiebreaker over Nayarit. They face Obregon (38-27), which will not be an easy series, but two wins could keep them in second place in the second half. A sweep gives them a shot at the top seed overall. They can’t finish lower than fifth in the second half, though that would require them getting swept and both Jalisco and Los Mochis sweeping the final series.

Jaguares de Nayarit – Like Hermosillo, the Jaguares can’t finish lower than fifth. They’re hosting Culiacan for the final three games of the regular season, and Culiacan has been hot since Lorenzo Bundy took over as manager. Either way, Nayarit will have home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Charros de Jalisco – At 16-14, the Charros can’t fall out of the playoffs if they’re swept by Mexicali in the final series of the regular season, but they could end up with the No. 6 or No. 7 seed. Even with a sweep of Mexicali, it’d take an astonishing turn of events for the Charros to have home field advantage in the first round.

Yaquis de Obregon – Like Jalisco, the Yaquis are 16-14 in the second half, but they finished first in the first half and can’t miss the playoffs at this point. If they’re swept by Hermosillo, they could lose home field advantage in the first round.

Caneros de Los Mochis – After finishing second in the first half, the Caneros disappointed early in the season’s second stanza. Felix Fermin was dismissed as manager and replaced with bench coach Chris Coste, and they’re managed to get to the final troika of games at 15-15. While they can’t finish better than fourth in the second half, a fourth place finish would give the Caneros home field advantage and a chance at the top overall seed. They’d likely need to sweep Mazatlan on the road to do it, but that’s certainly a possibility.

Aguilas de Mexicali – At 14-16, the Aguilas are on their third manager of the year, but can’t finish lower than eighth in the second half and will be in the playoffs. They’ll start the postseason on the road.

Algodoneros de Guasave – A sweep of Tucson in the final series could get Guasave, the worst team in the first half, into the playoffs. Anything less than a sweep of Tucson likely brings their season to a merciful end.

Venados de Mazatlan – The Venados, who finished ninth in the first half and are 10th in the second half, will get to finish the season at home before heading off for the summer season.

Saturday’s Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico Scores
Algodoneros de Guasave (24-41) 8, Charros de Jalisco (36-29) 6
Caneros de Los Mochis (36-29) 9, Jaguares de Nayarit (39-26) 4
Tomateros de Culiacan (38-27) 8, Aguilas de Mexicali (32-33) 1
Yaquis de Obregon (38-27) 2, Venados de Mazatlan (21-44) 1 – 10 innings
Naranjeros de Hermosillo (39-25) 5, Tucson Baseball Team (21-43) 4 – Game 1
Tucson Baseball Team (22-43) 10, Naranjeros de Hermosillo (39-26) 0 – Game 2

Sunday’s Liga ARCO Mexicana del Pacifico Schedule
All times Eastern Standard Time
6 p.m. – Charros de Jalisco (36-29) at Aguilas de Mexicali (32-33)
7 p.m. – Caneros de Los Mochis (36-29) at Venados de Mazatlan (21-44)
7 p.m. – Yaquis de Obregon (38-27) at Naranjeros de Hermosillo (39-26)
7 p.m. – Tomateros de Culiacan (38-27) at Jaguares de Nayarit (39-26)
7 p.m. – Tucson Baseball Team (22-43) at Algodoneros de Guasave (24-41)

Photo: Marco Chicuate’s three-run homer helped the Tucson Baseball Team down the Naranjeros de Hermosillo 10-0 in the series finale. (Photo courtesy of LAMP)