Federation Name: Federación Mexicana de Béisbol, A.C.
Federation President: Alonso Pérez González
Elite League: Mexican League
Team Manager: Enrique Reyes
Federation Web Link:
Mexico 2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup Roster
Mexico
Current world rank: 7
Best World Cup result (year(s)): 2nd place (four times – 1943, 1944, 1961, 1965)
Most recent World Cup (result): 2007 (7th place)
How it advanced to World Cup: Qualified through 2008 COPABE Americas Cup
Most recent international competition (result): 2009 World Baseball Classic (8th place)
2009 IBAF Baseball World Cup Player Stats and Current Team Links:
HISTORY OF THE GAME IN MEXICO
It is impossible to know where the first baseball game was played in Mexico, despite the titanic efforts to discover the exact location. It appears that baseball surfaced in Mexico in either Guaymas of Sonora, Nuevo Laredo in the state of Tamaulipas or Cadereyta Jimenez in the state of Nuevo Leon.
It was in 1877 when the sailors of the crew of the American boat Montana, landed in Guaymas and played a baseball game. Other ships such as the Newborn did the same and soon formed a baseball team in Guaymas. In Nuevo Laredo, (United States border to the state of Texas) the railroad was built in the state of Tamaulipas and the supervisors were Americans, one of which was Johnny Tayson. Teaching the sport to his workers, they were able to comprise two baseball teams, playing each other for one of the first steps of the great sport in Mexico. Yucatán is one of the other states that soon learned the great pastime due to its proximity to Cuba. In 1890, Fernando Urzais was traveling with his family in the area and among the toys the children had were a bat and a baseball. Soon the children of the family began to play baseball with other kids who had never seen this sport, and soon, baseball was the main sport in the state of Yucatan. Nuevo Leon also maintains that they were the first to play baseball in Mexico, claiming introduction of the game on July 4th, 1889. At that time the Monterrey-Tampico railway was under construction and the work was carried out under the responsibility of Colonel Treadwell Ayres Robertson. On the 4th of July, the Colonel gave a day off to the employees, and they started playing baseball in a field close to the railway. That was in the San Juan station, in the state of Nuevo Leon.
The origin of baseball in Mexico City was in 1887 with the birth of the "Mexican club" which is undoubtedly the oldest team of the republic. In the twentieth century, baseball became the favorite sport in Mexico. Near the border, Mexican teams had a chance to play against American teams. Many clubs from the republic were coming to play in Mexico City attracted by the fame of the great capital.
Alejandro Aguilar Reyes, the most famous Mexican sports journalist, joined forces with the prestigious and popular manager Ernesto Carmona, to found the Mexican league in 1925. From 1920 to 1930, a famous man in Mexican baseball, Marquez Homobono, formed a team called the Aztecs. They were located in the city of Mexico and they were dedicated to play exhibition series against teams from other cities and the United States. Especially in the thirties, famous teams of the Negro leagues as well as selections of the major leagues, came to play in Mexico. Homobono used to recruit the best Mexican players of the moment, and was reinforced with Cuban elements. The public had many opportunities to see famous players on the field. MAJOR LEAGUES
Many major league clubs came to Mexico to play. The first was the Chicago White Sox in 1906 after they had won the American League championship and then the World Series. In 1937 the Philadelphia Athletics, with legendary owner and manager Connie Mack, decided to train in Mexico before the season. They played several matches in the capital and in the Port of Veracruz. Naturally when the Mexican teams were winning, the press was all over the victories.
It was not until 1958 that Major league team came back to play in Mexico. It was the Pittsburgh Pirates with their superstar player, the great Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente. The Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to play in 1964, and the New York Yankees followed suit in 1968, which led to many more teams making the trip.
THE BIG STAGE
The professional Mexican League housed some important moments in Mexican baseball. From 1940 to 1951, billionaire Jorge Pasquel and his brother, tried to convert the Mexican league into a major league circuit. During some years we can say that for the quality of players, they almost succeeded. In the early forties, Pasquel picked players of color. The players of color were not accepted into the Major Leagues or in organized baseball. Because of their exclusion from the Major Leagues, Pasquel was able to contract legends such as Satchel Paige, Ray Dandridge, Roy Campanella, Monte Irvin, Ray Brawn, Chet Brewer, Johnny Taylor and many more. White Cuban players who were active in the Major Leagues started to come to play in Mexico as well. It was in 1946, at the end of Second World War, that Jorge Pasquel gives his biggest move by recruiting players in higher leagues. Owners in the big leagues suffered headaches watching Pasquel hiring the famous left-handed pitcher Max Lanier of the St. Louis Cardinals, catcher Mickey Owen and outfielder Boricua Rodriguez Olmo of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Pasquel was about to hire the famous Yankees Phil Rizzuto and he offered a blank contract to Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams but they did not accept. Although he did not accept a contract, Babe Ruth traveled to Mexico and took batting practice at the end of his career for Pasquel’s team.
Already 113 persons have been elected to the temple of immortality. The Hall of Fame in the city of Monterrey maintains the history of the memorable players of Mexican baseball.
ORGANIZED BASEBALL
The Mexican league grew steadily in the 1960s, and in 1980 the league had reached a total of 20 teams. After the strike of some players in 1980, the league came back stronger a year later. In 1992, three players from the Ernesto Peraltz academy became part of the big leagues. In 1990, a stadium with a capacity of 30,000 people opened in Monterrey. Big stars emerged through the decades, unforgettable players such as the greatest hitter Hector Espino who set a record with 453 home runs and hitting 46 of them in the 1964 season. Jack Pierce broke the record in 1986 by hitting 54 home runs. The pitcher Ramon Arano became the all time wins leader after overcoming the 211 wins of Bragaña Ramon. He ended his career with 332 wins. The lefty Alfredo Ortiz is the greatest left-handed pitcher with 255 wins.
MEXICANS IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES
Mexico had its stars players who later had good campaigns in Major leagues. The first to appear in the baseball world was Baldomero (Melo) Almada, born in Huatabampo, Sonora, and he spent 7 years in the big leagues as an outfielder. His first season was in 1933. In 1954, Roberto Avila, a second baseman for the Cleveland, became the first Latin American to win the batting title. Beto Avila played in the Majors until 1959 and is considered one of the greatest of all time. He arrived in Cleveland in 1949 and hit .341 in 1954. He also was the first Mexican to play in the World Series. At the start of the year 1994, 60 baseball players had reached the Major Leagues, including the famous manager "Cananea" Reyes who won 14 titles including 5 with the Mexico Red Devil and two Caribean Series. He won the first time with the Naranjeros of Hermosillo in 1976 and then with the Eagles of Mexicali, in Maracaibo, Venezuela. The new era of Mexican big leaguer started with the left-handed pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, a product of the Mexican league. After one season with the Lions of Yucatan in 1979 he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a rookie in 1981, he won the National League Rookie of the Year award and Cy Young award, remaining the only player to ever do so. He compiled 21 wins that season, and finished his career with 141 wins.
