Final Series with overtones of revenge in LMP

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Charros and Tomateros define the representative team of Mexico in the Caribbean Series starting this Tuesday


GUADALAJARA — Charros from Jalisco and Culiacán tomato trees The Final Series of the La Liga starts this Tuesday in the capital of Sinaloa. Mexican Pacific League (LMP) 2024-2025, looking for the representative of Mexico for the Caribbean Series that will be played in Mexicali. Being a duel that revives the great rivalry that has become one of the most important in recent times in Mexican winter baseball.

A new episode to seek to resolve the most successful team so far this decade. Tomateros with two 2020 titles to date and the Charros looking to match those two cherry championships. The most repeated final in the last 10 years starts this Tuesday in Sinaloa territory and then moves to Jalisco over the weekend.

How did the Tomateros de Culiacán reach the Final Series?

The cherry team was the ninth with the best record (43-25) and the highest number of points scored (18) in the regular role of the LMP, which gave them the home field advantage throughout the postseason. Despite the team’s good numbers, there was a manager change during the second round. Óscar Robles was the manager of the team at the start and led it to a streak of more than 10 straight games won that gave it first place in the first round. However, he left the organization after a five-game losing streak and a losing record in the second round. This forced the arrival of Roberto Vizcarra to the dugout.

With Roberto Vizcarra in charge of the team, the cherries returned to the path of triumph. To finish in third place in the second round and secure that first place in points. In the first round of the playoffs they faced Venados de Mazatlán in the Sinaloan classic and won the series in five games. In the semifinals, they faced Cañeros de Los Mochis to beat them in six games.

How did the Charros get to the Final Series?

Jalisco had its first full season with Benjamín Gil leading the team. The year did not start well at all, having adverse results in the first three weeks that gave a hesitant atmosphere and placed Charros among the three worst teams in the standings. Gil left the team for two weeks to fulfill the commitment of the Mexican National Team in Premier 12 and from that moment on he began a streak of 10 wins in a row that gave them the fourth best team at the end of the second round.

Charros faced Águilas de Mexicali in the first round of the postseason. After leaving Jalisco with the series tied, Jalisco won all three games in Mexicali to advance to the semifinals. The duel in the next round for Charros was against the champions: Naranjeros de Hermosillo. After splitting games at the Fernando Valenzuela Stadium, Charros defined the series at home by winning all three games at the Panamericano Stadium to end the orange reign in Mexico.

Tomateros vs Charros, the new rivalry of the LMP

This season marks 10 years since the arrival of Charros de Jalisco to the Mexican Pacific League. Since the team’s conception, in its first season the winning lineage of the Jalisco team was shown. Such was the success of the first year in the Mexican winter for Charros, that they were leaders of the standings and reached the final. They lost the title in five games to Tomateros at the beginning of this dynasty that has given them four titles, all led by Benjamín Gil and the first of them in that 2014-2015 season.

The fall of Charros in that final laid the roots of the current rivalry and has become the most anticipated series of each season for Guadalajara fans. And the spark of this “new classic” came with the three consecutive postseason series that Jalisco has won against Culiacán. Two victories in the first playoff of the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons.

To then complete revenge for the lost final, now in the 2021-2022 season. Charros de Jalisco beat Tomateros de Culiacán in the Final Series defined in seven games, winning the last game (1-8) at the Pan American Stadium.

Since last season these duels had a new ingredient with the arrival of Benjamín Gil as manager of Charros. And now in December of this year Roberto Vizcarra took command of the Tomateros. In addition to this situation, there were changes between the two teams during this year: Manny Barreda arrived in Jalisco and Víctor González went to Culiacán.

Roberto Vizcarra and Benjamín Gil, intertwined in the Final Series

The two winningest managers in the last season in the Mexican Pacific League meet for the second time in an LMP final. Only now teams have been exchanged. It will be the first time that Gil directs the final with Charros and the same for Vizcarra with Tomateros. In the only final series they faced each other was with the booths exchanged in the 2021-2022 season.

Three years ago they met in the Final Series, one of the most exciting and close in recent times. In Jalisco, Charros won Game 7 by a score of 1-8, which meant the first final lost by Benjamín Gil in charge of a team in the Mexican Pacific League with the cherries. While with Roberto Vizcarra, he accumulated one more trophy for his nickname: ‘King Midas’. At the moment, Vizcarra has won all the finals he has directed in Mexican baseball with Águilas de Mexicali and Charros de Jalisco on two occasions in winter; Tigres de Quintana Roo and Leones de Yucatán in the summer league and winning two titles with both teams.

For this 2025, Benjamín Gil and Roberto Vizcarra will now reach their second final, with the coincidence that they will do so with the exchanged teams. Vizcarra’s undefeated record will be put to the test in the LMP and LMB final series, in addition to Gil seeking his first championship outside of the Tomateros team.

The 2025 Caribbean Series for Mexico will be the fourth consecutive ‘Fiesta del Caribe’ played in Mexico with Roberto Vizcarra or Benjamín Gil leading the team in Mexican territory. Vizcarra did it in the 2017 edition that was played in Culiacán. Gil commanded the LMP representative in Guadalajara 2018 and Mazatlán 2021.

Players to watch in the Final Series

The talent that the cherries and blues have in this Final Series has big league quality players in each of the teams. From the issue of pitching and going through the offenses, which is the main attraction that the teams showed to reach this stage in the fight for the title.

Joey Meneses: The outfielder and first baseman of the Tomateros has been one of the Mexican figures in MLB the last two years after his emergence with the Washington Nationals. He is offseason despite changing teams and now being a Mets player, he has once again represented the cherries. He hits .317 in the postseason with two home runs and 10 RBIs.

Manny Barreda: The credit of Culiacán’s pitching will launch for the seventh consecutive final series between Tomateros and other teams that have taken it as reinforcement. After starting Game 1 of the first two series, he was now moved to Game 2 to have the chance to pitch in a hypothetical Game 6 that could be decisive. In four starts this postseason he has a record of (2-0) and an ERA of 2.22.

Julian Ornelas: The Mexican outfielder will seek to become winter champion, after having won the title in summer with heck. After several seasons in Charros where injuries did not allow him to play full seasons, this 2024-2025 he became a pillar of Jalisco. In the playoffs he has been no exception with 10 RBIs and a home run.

Manny Banuelos: Of immediate impact was the arrival of Bañuelos to Charros de Jalisco after his time with the Tomateros ended. In the playoffs he has been at a very constant and effective level. Now having to face his previous team. So far this month of January in the playoffs he has made three playoffs and in all three he has won for an ERA of 2.25.

Possible openers and game schedule

Charros and Tomateros have defined their starting pitchers for the first four games of the Final Series. Culiacán stands out for placing its reinforcement, the Cuban Odrisamer Despaigne which he threw at Charros in the semifinal series when he was a reinforcement for the Naranjeros. and include David Reyes which was reinforcement for the semifinals. Jalisco retains the same rotation with which the regular role ended.

Game 1:

Tuesday, January 21: Manny Bañuelos (JAL) vs Odrisamer Despaigne (CUL): 19:30PM (CDMX) | 18:30PM (PAC). In Tomateros Stadium.

Game 2:

Wednesday, January 22: Ronald Medrano (JAL) vs Manny Barreda (CUL): 19:30PM (CDMX) | 18:30PM (PAC). In Tomateros Stadium.

Game 3:

Friday, January 24: David Reyes (CUL) vs Luis Iván Rodríguez (JAL): 19:30PM (CDMX) | 18:30PM (PAC). In Pan American Stadium.

Game 4:

Saturday, January 25: Edgar Arredondo (CUL) vs Alemao Hernández (JAL): 18:00PM (CDMX) | 17:00PM (PAC). In Pan American Stadium.

*Game 5 – Sunday, January 26: Pitchers to be defined. 17:00PM (CDMX) | 16:00PM (PAC). In Pan American Stadium.

*Game 6 – Tuesday, January 28: Pitchers to be defined. 19:30PM (CDMX) | 18:30PM (PAC). In Tomateros Stadium.

*Game 7 – Wednesday, January 29: Pitchers to be defined. 19:30PM (CDMX) | 18:30PM (PAC). In Tomateros Stadium.

*If necessary.