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57-711: Officially named the Acereros del Norte (Steelers of the North), the Acereros de Monclova (Monclova Steelers) debuted in the Mexican League on March 23, 1974, as the Mineros de Coahuila (Miners of Coahuila) against the Indios de Ciudad Juárez at "Sports Park Ahmsa". They were managed by "Sergeant Shrapnel" Tomás Herrera. The team moved into Monclova Stadium on March 16, 1975, with a game between

114-629: A Mexican League professional baseball club which played in several leagues during 23 seasons spanning 1946–1984. The Indios were based in Ciudad Juárez , in the Mexican state of Chihuahua . The team also was known as the Ciudad Juárez Indios or the Juarez Indios. The team's name was chosen to honor statesman Benito Juárez , who described himself as the son of Indians of the primitive race of

171-515: A long time. Ciudad Juárez returned to action after 15 years of absence, as part of the revamped Mexican League from 1973 through 1984. The Mexican League had begun to operate as a Triple A circuit in 1967 and was a very strong organization. By the time the Indians made their debut, the league had 16 teams distributed in four divisions. Following three disastrous seasons from 1973–1975, the Indios became

228-405: A modest record of 48-52 in 1956, enough for a third place, 10½ games out of contention. The team failed again in 1957, ending fourth with a 49-51 mark, 13 games out of first place. In 1958 Ciudad Juárez became a member of the aforementioned Arizona–Mexico League. The Indios placed fifth of six teams with a record of 55-64, 12½ games out of first place. After that, the team suspended operations for

285-580: A player has tested positive, and a press release informing the media of said situation has been handed out, while protecting the player's name. Sky Sports , AYM sports, and TVC Deportes broadcast games from the LMB. Sky Sports is also the official broadcaster of home games for Diablos Rojos del México and Sultanes del Monterrey, making it the channel that has the greatest coverage of the league. Other teams have local broadcasting agreements. La Liga Mexicana de Béisbol has an agreement with Cadena RASA, through which

342-497: A playoff system for the first time. In 1973 the first of what is now called the Serie del Rey was held. The members of each zone have changed frequently as teams have come and gone (particularly for those teams in a central location), but each zone has maintained a core of the northernmost and southernmost teams. In 1974 the League introduced the designated hitter rule. The league has found

399-739: A record for runs scored with 203, matching also their record most home runs hit in a game. They finished the regular season as the leader of the North Division with a 76–51 record, with a five-game lead over the Sultanes de Monterrey . However, after winning in six games in the first round of the playoffs over Dos Laredos, they fell in the North Division Championship Series to the Sultanes in seven games. In 1987, Monclova defeated Monterrey in five games, but were then defeated in five games by

456-513: A seasoned squad after that. The team won the Northwest Division in 1976 but lost in the second round of the playoffs. Then, they advanced to the finals in 1979, losing to the Angeles de Puebla in the maximum seven games. In 1980, Ciudad Juárez finished second in the supplemental season put on by a few teams after the regular season was stopped by a players strike. Then, the Indios advanced to

513-554: A second place, but did not advance from the first round. Then, in 1950 they won the regular season with a record of 93-55 and defeated the Phoenix Senators in the best-of-seven Series, four games to two. That season, Ciudad Juárez was managed by Syd Cohen , a former Washington Senators pitcher , better known for giving up Babe Ruth his final home run and final strikeout for the New York Yankees in 1934. In 1951

570-508: A team from Puebla. After that for a solid decade the Championship was only won by teams from the capital city, with Agrario de Mexico and Tigres de Comintra dominating with two titles each. In the late 30s, when the first wave of Cuban players arrived, teams from the Gulf coast started dominating the league; they were more attractive to Cuban players given their proximity to their home island, with

627-459: A third place in 1953. By the time playoffs were not played. Then, the league expanded from six to eight teams in 1954 and became more competitive, which affected the Indios performance, which ended last with a 55-85 mark, 38 games out first place. The team took a break in 1955. The Indios found itself on the move again, this time in the short-lived Mexican Center League , a Class C six-team circuit that operated from 1956 to 1957. They finished with

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684-745: Is Monclova Stadium , located in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. It has natural grass surface and capacity for 11,000 people. It was inaugurated on March 16, 1975, and remodeled and enlarged in 1996. Pitchers Catchers Infielders Outfielders Manager Coaches [REDACTED] 7-day injured list ~ Development list # Rehab assignment ∞ Reserve list ‡ Restricted list § Suspended list † Temporarily inactive list Roster updated October 7, 2024 Transactions → More rosters: MiLB  •  Mexican League Indios de Ciudad Ju%C3%A1rez (minor league) The Indios de Ciudad Juárez were

741-514: Is a professional baseball league based in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five teams in each division advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the Serie del Rey , a best-of-seven championship series between the two division champions. The Mexican League has two affiliated minor leagues,

798-582: Is expected to increase to 20 in 2026, and to 22 in 2028. In contrast to the Major Leagues in which teams commonly wear a white uniform at home, and a grey one for away games, with team-color jerseys only worn as alternates, Mexican League teams use a colored option as their regular road jersey, a practice started in the 1970s to attract larger crowds and make teams more recognizable. The current LMB regular season, consisting of 120 games per team, typically begins in late March or early April. Each team's schedule

855-480: Is recognized as the first major early step towards baseball free agency . For most of its existence, the league consisted of six to eight teams. During its first few decades most of the league's teams played around Mexico City and the Gulf Coast. The southernmost team being Veracruz, while the northernmost team being Tampico. Most of Mexico City's teams disappeared in the late '30s, and were replaced by teams all around

912-435: Is typically organized into three-game series. Postponed games or continuations of suspended games can result in an ad hoc one-game or five-game series. A team's series are organized into homestands and road trips that group multiple series together. Teams generally play games five to six days per week, commonly having Monday or Sunday as an off day. Frequently, games are scheduled at night. Sunday games are generally played during

969-524: The Cafeteros de Cordoba and the Rojos del Águila de Veracruz winning titles. Because of the late foundation of the league, there never was a "dead-ball" era, which helped enhance the sport's popularity quickly. This along with the fact that it was only played on weekends, which allowed for easy following on a game-to-game basis, helped the sport grow. In 1946, twenty-two Major Leaguers, including eight members of

1026-613: The Dodgers , and played a major role in the league achieving AAA status with the Minor Leagues. This achievement should be attributed mainly to Anuar Canavati, who is considered one of the greatest Mexican baseball executives along Peralta and Harp. His relationship with MiLB was key in the growth of Mexican baseball. Southern Mexico has also been a bastion of baseball, with both the Tabasco and Campeche teams enjoying consistent attendance due to

1083-470: The Liga Norte de México and Mexican Academy League . Founded in 1925, LMB grew substantially in the immediate post- World War II era thanks to the efforts of Jorge Pasquel , who greatly increased the quality and visibility of the league by luring players from Major League Baseball (MLB). The conflict between the Mexican League and " organized baseball " was resolved in 1955, when the Mexican League joined

1140-465: The Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded LMB. The newly expanded league featured a 20-team circuit with four divisions. However, after a series of team bankruptcies, the Mexican League was reduced to 14 teams in two divisions. For the 1970 season teams were divided into geographic zones to lower travel costs, however it was not until three years later that the league introduced

1197-592: The Mexican National League was founded and joined the ranks of Organized Baseball as a Class B circuit. The league included six franchises that represented Mexico City (Aztecas), Chihuahua (Dorados), El Paso (Tejanos), Saltillo (Peroneros), Torreón – Gómez Palacio (Laguneros), and Ciudad Juárez (Indios). Unfortunately, it was to be a short-lived experiment because of competition from an independent Mexican League. This operation, bankrolled by Mexican entrepreneur Jorge Pasquel , placed franchises in two of

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1254-577: The National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues with a Double-A designation; some LMB clubs entered player development contracts with National League teams. Triple-A classification was granted in 1967. As part of a broader reorganization of the minor leagues, the Mexican League returned to its previous independent status in 2021. The Mexican League is the ninth-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue in North America , and

1311-690: The Negro National League . Prohibited from playing in Organized Baseball , the African-Americans ballplayers were welcomed and excelled in Mexico. For instance, in 1938 Martín Dihigo posted an 18-2 record and a 0.90 earned run average as a pitcher , while winning the batting title with a solid .387 average . Two years later, Cool Papa Bell won the Triple Crown , while batting .437 with 12 home runs and 79 runs batted in . In 1946,

1368-647: The Olmecas de Tabasco since 1977, and the Leones de Yucatán since 1979. The league has lost 12 teams since it was established in 1925. Some sources claim that baseball reached Mexican soil because of the US military forces that participated in the US-Mexico War between 1846 and 1848. The last decades of the nineteenth century were beneficial to the baseball boom, while American companies were investing in various sectors of

1425-687: The Tigres Capitalinos in seven games. In the final round, they were swept by the Guerreros de Oaxaca in four games. They returned to the postseason in 1999, beating Cancun in the first round, but losing to the Tigres, 4–2, in the second round. They won the first round in 2001 against the Broncos de Reynosa in six games, but lost second round to the Diablos Rojos del México , 4–2. The Acereros did not return to

1482-791: The Arizona–Texas League merged with the Sunset League to form the Southwest International League . Ciudad Juárez finished second with an 87-57 record in the 10-team league, but did not advance pass the first round of the playoffs. The Arizona–Texas League broke off again in 1952, operating through 1954, before changing its name to the Arizona–Mexico League the following season. The Indios were successfully in this three-year span, claiming their second championship title in 1952 with an 84-55 record, and ending 74-65 for

1539-606: The Indios de Ciudad Juárez took refuge in the Class C Arizona–Texas League , but suspended operations during the midseason and were replaced by the Mesa Orphans . When the Indios reorganized in 1948, they changed their misfortune and advanced to the postseason three years in a row. In 1948, Ciudad Juárez finished fourth with a 74-66 record and lost the league finals to the Globe-Miami Browns . They improved to 92-58 in 1949, good for

1596-456: The Internet through web page LMB.TV. Likewise, since the 2017 post-season, Cinépolis KLIC has streamed some games. Additionally, the LMB signed an agreement with Facebook to exclusively broadcast 132 regular-season games and eight playoff games (four for each championship) during its 2018 season through Facebook Live. These streams would be free and would be available from March 22 of that year on

1653-458: The Major Leagues. Even so, the league has been accused of "softening" its anti-doping policy to create a safe space for foreign ballplayers to continue their careers there. Allegedly, the league allows players to pay a fine equivalent to US$ 5,000, without suspension to make the positive test "disappear". This has caused controversy among the fans and media who have called for the firing of league president Javier Salinas. As recently as August 2019,

1710-568: The Mexican League in 1997. In the playoffs, they lost to the Olmecas de Tabasco in four games. In 1998, the Steelers made it to the championship finals for the first time in 24 years. They were managed by Aurelio Rodriguez , and included players such as Jesus "Chito" Ríos, Juan Manuel Palafox, Boi Rodriguez, Luis Raven. In that postseason, Monclova beat the Langosteros de Cancún and then went on to defeat

1767-444: The Mexican League. They had to overcome many difficult obstacles, especially when, on May 26, the rival Mexican Association prepared a "coup" against them, but managed to rebuff it. In the period since, competing leagues have occasionally been formed, but have been absorbed by the LMB, the most famous being Central League in 1979. The sport's popularity rose immediately and culminated with the first Mexican-born major leaguers. During

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1824-549: The Mexican economy and their employees were broadcasting the game. The origin of baseball in Mexico City, the capital, dates back to 1887 with the birth of the "Mexican Club", which is undoubtedly the oldest team of the republic. Since the start of the 20th century, baseball has become one of the favorite sports of all of Mexico. As early as 1925, Mexicans' interest in baseball was such that sports journalist Alejandro Aguilar Reyes and his friend baseball player Ernesto Carmona founded

1881-614: The Mineros and the Alijadores de Tampico . The team reached the playoffs for the first time in 1976, but were eliminated by Juárez. In 1980, the team changed their name to Acereros de Monclova and were led by manager Victor Favela . They advanced to the postseason by virtue of finishing in third place in the Northern Zone, but lost 4–0 to the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos . The 1986 Steelers set

1938-681: The New York Giants, moved to the Mexican League. These moves were motivated by businessman Jorge Pasquel investing more money to raise the profile of the Mexican League and offering contracts which were in some cases higher than American Major League contracts. These moves were also motivated by the anticipation of increased competition from former Major Leaguers who had been serving in World War II and were now returning home. The U.S. Supreme Court case Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore v. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs held that

1995-474: The Tecolotes. Monclova was defeated by the Tecolotes again in the first round of the 1990 playoffs. Northern Steel Group purchased the team in 1992 and rebranded it as the Acereros del Norte. They took third place in 1993, but fell in five games to Monterrey in the first round. The Acereros returned to the playoffs in 1996, but lost to Monterrey, 4–2, in the first round. Monclova set the attendance record for all of

2052-519: The addition of two expansion teams to the league: El Águila de Veracruz and the Mariachis de Guadalajara . The league officially approved the additions on 26 January 2021. In 2023, the league announced that it would introduce a salary cap starting in the 2024 season , in an effort to ensure competitive balance. The league also approved a measure requiring each of its teams to have a minimum of 18 Mexican-born players on their 38-man rosters. That number

2109-513: The afternoon. In addition, teams will play day games frequently on Opening Day, holidays, and getaway days. Each team plays either six or nine games against each opponent. In mid-to-late July, just after the midway point of the season, the LMB All-Star Game is held during a four-day break from the regular-season schedule. The All-Star Game features a team of players from the North Zone, led by

2166-505: The baseball leagues and their commissioner are not violating antitrust laws (specifically the Sherman Antitrust Act ) when they ban, trade, or otherwise change the playing eligibility of players. The ruling went untested until the Mexican League was formed. Players who went to play in the Mexican League were blacklisted from Major League Baseball. One such player, Danny Gardella , was blacklisted because MLB claimed he had violated

2223-448: The country. Organized Mexican baseball started in 1937, when a league featuring teams from the cities of México , Tampico and Veracruz played a modest 25 game schedule. Gradually increasing the number of games, the independent Mexican baseball circuit was playing nearly a 100-game schedule by the end of World War II. At the beginning, teams in the Mexican League, which played in the winter, included on their rosters baseball stars of

2280-596: The country. It wasn't until the 1940s that the League first reached the northern part of the country with the introduction of the Sultanes de Monterrey . Teams in Nuevo Laredo and Torreon soon followed. The west coast first had a team in 1949 with the emergence of the Charros de Jalisco . It still was a difficult region to gain popularity given the presence of the Mexican Pacific League , an important winter league in

2337-410: The defendants had made contracts with radio broadcasting and television companies that sent narratives or moving pictures of the games across state lines. MLB then settled with Gardella and offered all Mexican League jumpers amnesty, protecting the ambiguity of the antitrust protection. In 1949, Gardella won a major appeal against baseball's reserve clause in the federal courts. This successful appeal

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2394-540: The fourth place team, that fifth-place team qualifies as a wild card and plays the fourth place team in a single game playoff. That is followed by three additional rounds: Within each zone the first seed (the team with the best record) will face the fourth seed on the First Playoff, while the second and third seeds face each other. Since 2017, home-field advantage in the Serie del Rey is determined by regular-season records of

2451-403: The league was split geographically for the first time. In 1979, the Mexican Central League was absorbed into the expanded Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Mexican Baseball League). The newly expanded league featured a 20-team circuit with four divisions. However, after a series of team bankruptcies, the Mexican League was reduced to 14 teams in two divisions. Although there is a stable core of teams in

2508-575: The league, it is not unusual for clubs to relocate. Often, new incarnations of the teams come about through new owners. Teams also cease after unsatisfactory results or bankruptcy. Since its foundation in 1925, more than 90 teams have passed through the Mexican League, and the only organizations that have remained since their inception are the Sultanes de Monterrey (1939), Diablos Rojos del Mexico (1940), Tigres de Quintana Roo (1955), Saraperos de Saltillo (1970), and Piratas de Campeche (1980). The Acereros del Norte have played uninterrupted since 1982,

2565-463: The manager of the previous North Serie del Rey team, and a team of players from the South Zone, similarly managed, in an exhibition game. It has been held consistently since 1942 and from that year up until 1971 a team of foreign players battled it out against a team of Mexicans. The first all-star game took place on August 29, 1939, in the since-demolished Delta Park of Mexico City, in a game between

2622-482: The northwest of the country. The emergence of teams in the north was key in expanding the league's popularity. The north followed baseball closely, because of various aspects that all helped its teams thrive and has been the home of the most consistent teams in the league, with the Saraperos, Sultanes and Acereros not having stopped play in over 40 years. For the Sultanes it even resulted in a Minor League partnership with

2679-477: The playoffs until 2007 where they were defeated by Monterrey in seven games. They finished the 2008 season in first place. They went on to win the first round against the Dorados de Chihuahua in seven games, but lost the next round to Monterrey in four games. In February 2017, the grandson of founder Harold Pape, Gerardo Benavides Pape, purchased the team bringing it back to family ownership. The Acereros home stadium

2736-696: The postseason in 1981 but lost in the first round. Finally, they clinched the Championship title in 1982 and were runners-up in the 1983 and 1984 seasons, losing to the Piratas de Campeche (4-3) and the Leones de Yucatán (4-2), respectively. The Indios posted a collective record of 819–777 (.513) during their 12 seasons in the league. Since 1984, no other team based in Ciudad Juárez has participated in organized baseball. Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (Spanish: Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, or LMB , lit.   ' Mexican Baseball League ' )

2793-586: The radio network has the exclusive national radio broadcast rights, including the All-Star Game and the Serie del Rey, as well as any other baseball event of national relevance that is presented. Gustavo Torrero, a well-known baseball commentator on radio and television, provides play-by-play for these broadcasts alongside Javier Figueroa and occasional guest commentators. In addition to this, all teams have their games broadcast on local radio. Since 2014, LMB has had an agreement with AYM Sports to stream some games on

2850-550: The reserve clause. On the other hand, Gardella's side claimed he had been fired by Giants player-manager Mel Ott during 1946 spring training because of frequent arguments, primarily about his salary. During 1948, Gardella brought a claim against Commissioner of Baseball Happy Chandler , the National League and American League , as well as their presidents ( Ford Frick and Will Harridge , respectively). Gardella charged that they were engaged in interstate commerce because

2907-460: The same cities, Mexico City and Torreón, forcing the Class B competition to fold. As a result, the MNL México and Torreón clubs retired in late April and the remaining of the league collapsed on May 27, just when Juárez and Chihuahua were tied in first place with a 23-21 record. After that, the outlaw Mexican League also became a threat to Major League Baseball for the rest of the decade. In 1947

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2964-462: The second-wealthiest baseball league in the western hemisphere, behind only Major League Baseball. Despite losing Triple-A classification in 2021, it is considered among the more competitive baseball leagues in Latin America. From 1925 to the 1960s, the league consisted of about six teams each season. The league expanded to eight teams in the 1960s. In 1970, after the circuit had grown to 10 teams,

3021-456: The selections of Ernesto Carmona and Manuel Oliveros . The game ended in 11 innings, 1–0 in favor of the Oliveros team after a walk-off home run . When the regular season ends at the end of August, between eight and ten teams enter the postseason playoffs. The top four finishers in each zone automatically qualify, however if the fifth place team in a zone finishes three or fewer games back of

3078-448: The so-called "first stage of the Mexican League" the league attracted several well renowned players from Cuba and the Negro leagues . Cuban ballplayers Martín Di higo, Lázaro Salazar, Brujo Rossell, Agustín Bejerano all played in Mexico at some point. The era was mostly dominated by the teams in the central areas of the country, in and around Mexico City. The first champions were Regimiento 74,

3135-539: The sport's popularity. The league first expanded southward with the introduction of the Olmecas de Tabasco in 1975, which was followed by the Piratas de Campeche in 1980, and the Leones de Yucatán in 1979, after a couple of previous unsuccessful attempts. Although the Yucatán Peninsula teams have consistently existed for 40 years, they have enjoyed little successes in comparison with their northern peers, although these southern teams have won seven titles. In 1979,

3192-589: The stability it lacked in the 90s, and has managed to sustain 16 teams for almost two decades, although some teams have relocated, and attendance has been inconsistent, though has rebounded in the latter part of the 2010s with the opening of new ballparks and greater stability. This led to unanimous approval for expansion to 18 clubs. Despite having cancelled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic , in December 2020, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador announced

3249-449: The two zone champions, replacing a system used previously where the champion of the zone that won the All-Star Game would receive home-field advantage. Similar to MLB, the Mexican League has had issues with doping by several players. Between 2012 and 2016, 45 players tested positive at the Mexican League's Prevention and Control of Substances program, all of whom were suspended according to the organized baseball anti-doping rule, headed by

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