by Carlos Fragoso
The original Pacific Coast League in Mexico started back in 1945 and finished in 1958. Duke Carmel, the Cardinals prospect, was the last home run king in 1957-58 with 18 roundtrippers. Dick Hall, the Orioles reliever, was the season’s MVP. Alvin Jackson pitched for the Mazatlan Venados that season, which ended because low attendance forced the owners to drop the ball for not been able to afford the team expenses. Hall married a Mazatlan girl who was the Carnival`s Queen (a sort of Mardi Gras).
Americans who played here and then become well-known in baseball were, among others: Al Grunwald, Charlie Lau, Stan Pitula, Jimmy Ochoa, Earl Averill Jr., Hub Kittle, Joe Brovia, Bob Bowman, Dominic Zanni, Bob Avila, Ruben Amaro, Bob Lemon, Sam Hairston (Jerry`s dad and Scott and Jerry Jr.’s granddad), Johny Lipon, Jim Lemon, Don Larsen, Nippy Jones, Luke Easter, Ed “Rip” Repulski, Sid Cohen and many more.
The Pacific Coast League played their last season back in 1958, and Sonora (which is a 100% baseball state) can not survive without their favourite pastime. For that reason, Mr. Florencio Zaragoza, a Guaymas native baseball tycoon, called several Sonoran baseball enthusiasts for a meeting in his Miramar (Seaview) house in order to discuss the possibility of founding a new league. Among those attending that meeting, dated September 7, 1958, were Guaymas`s Rogelio Rodriguez; Obregonians Manuel Alberto Yepiz, journalist Jesus Corral Ruiz and Rafael Orduño; Empalme`s Enrique Romero and Guadalupe Leal; Hermosillo`s Rafael Romero Monteverde; and Guaymas natives Julio Alfonso (a former LMB Cuban player who ended up living there) and Hector Ferreira. The objective was to set up a new developmental semipro baseball league in which each would be allowed to have 3 true professional players and 2 rookies playing full time in a 36-game round-robin schedule. So the Liga Invernal de Sonora was born. Mr. Rogelio Rodriguez was the league’s first President. Rodriguez was also one of the founders of the Pacific Coast League, along with Mr. Zaragoza.
The format was to play 3 games on weekends only, and the champions would be the team with the best record. The initial season opened on November 14th of 1958 at Fernando M. Ortiz Stadium in Hermosillo, as the visiting Guaymas Oystermen beat the home Naranjeros under Cuban Manager Virgilio Arteaga behind the good pitching of Jose "Chino" Ibarra off loser Miguel Sotelo, who allowed a 3-run home run (the first ever in the league) by Jesus "Tribilin" Mendoza (“tribilin” is “goofy” in Spanish). The next day in Empalme, the Rieleros (Railroadmen) beat the Obregon Reds, 2-0, with Cesar Gutierrez outdueling Guillermo "Gato" Vazquez as only 4 teams started what for the next 7 years would be the Liga Invernal de Sonora.
Hermosillo’s Marco Antonio Sanchez was Rookie of the Year, Ronnie “The Rock” Camacho won the batting triple crown with .317/7/21 numbers, becoming the first and, along with Hector Espino, only one to achieve this milestone. The MVP was Guaymas playing-manager Manuel Magallon, and Hermosillo`s Jesus Bustamante (6-1) and Guaymas LHP Jesus Estrada shared the ERA championship with 1.11, a record until Vicente Romo broken it back in 1967.
In 65-66 Mazatlan and Culiacan joined the league, which changed its name to Liga Invernal de Sonora-Sinaloa and allowed 2 imported players for the first time in order to improve competition, so those were:
Obregon: Fred Wall (a promising LHP) and RHP Dave Dixon
Empalme: Dave Marshall (an OF who later played with Mets) and P Gary Malloy
Navojoa: C Ed Moxey
Los Mochis: None
Guaymas: Stan Thomas and Vic La Rose
Hermosillo: Lilly James
Mazatlan: Steve Dalkowski, whose pitches were once clocked at 100 MPH
Culiacan: George Prescott (a Panamanian slugger), then RHP Julius Grant and also Cuban hurler Evelio Hernandez
Finally, in a memorable date for this baseball, on August 5th of 1970 in New York, the office of Organized Baseball issued to this league a recognition letter as a member, and changed their name to the Mexican Pacific League (or MexPac), as it is known today, and expanded to 8 teams with Navojoa returning and Guasave playing for the first time.
MexPac President Horacio Lopez Diaz, along with all his staff, went to New York to meet Mr. Bowie Kuhn, Phil Piton, Bobby Maduro (their link to Latin baseball), John Johnson and Daniel O’Brien.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
Winter Club
1945-46 Mazatlan Venados
1946-47 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1947-48 Guaymas Oistoneros
1948-49 Culiacan Tomateros
1949-50 Culiacan Tomateros
1950-51 Guaymas Oistoneros
1951-52 Culiacan Tomateros
1952-53 Mazatlan Venados
1953-54 Mazatlan Venados
1954-55 Mazatlan Venados
1955-56 Culiacan Tomateros
1956-57 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1957-58 Mazatlan Venados
1958-59 Guaymas Oistoneros
1959-60 Guaymas Oistoneros
1960-61 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1961-62 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1962-63 Guaymas Oistoneros
1963-64 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1964-65 Guaymas Oistoneros
1965-66 Obregon Yaquis
1966-67 Culiacan Tomateros
1967-68 Guaymas Oistoneros
1968-69 Los Mochis Caneros
1969-70 Culiacan Tomateros
1970-71 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1971-72 Guasave Algodoneros
1972-73 Obregon Yaquis
1973-74 Mazatlan Venados
1974-75 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1975-76 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1976-77 Mazatlan Venados
1977-78 Culiacan Tomateros
1978-79 Navojoa Mayos
1979-80 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1980-81 Obregon Yaquis
1981-82 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1982-83 Culiacan Tomateros
1983-84 Los Mochis Caneros
1984-85 Culiacan Tomateros
1985-86 Mexicali Aguilas
1986-87 Mazatlan Venados
1987-88 Tijuana Potros
1988-89 Mexicali Aguilas
1989-90 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1990-91 Tijuana Potros
1991-92 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1992-93 Mazatlan Venados
1993-94 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1994-95 Hermosillo Naranjeros
1995-96 Culiacan Tomateros
1996-97 Culiacan Tomateros
1997-98 Mazatlan Venados
1998-99 Mexicali Aguilas
1999-00 Navojoa Mayos
2000-01 Hermosillo Naranjeros
2001-02 Culiacan Tomateros
2002-03 Los Mochis Caneros
2003-04 Culiacan Tomateros
2004-05 Mazatlan Venados
2005-06 Mazatlan Venados
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