Origins, history and evolution of baseball in Mexico
It is impossible to pinpoint precisely where the first baseball game was played in Mexico. Despite a few cities claiming the honor and many efforts to find the exact place, not even historians themselves can agree. But analyzing many of the studies, three cities emerge as the closest to being the site of that first game: Guaymas, in the state of Sonora; Nuevo Laredo, state of Tamaulipas; and Cadereyta Jiménez, state of Nuevo León.
Guaymas has the most accurate data, which indicates that in 1877, American sailors aboard the ship Montana visited that port and played a pickup game amongst themselves. Others in ships like the Newborne did the same, and shortly after a club was created in Guaymas.
Meanwhile in Nuevo Laredo, which shares a border with Texas, some American engineers were hired to oversee the construction of the railroads in the state of Tamaulipas, including Johnny Tayson, who loved the new sport and began to teach the game to his workers, eventually resulting in two teams that faced each other.
Not long after, Yucatán was another state that became known for baseball due to its proximity to Cuba.
WBSC ranking: 5th
Last World Baseball Classic appearance: 2017
Best WBC finish: 6th, 2006
Most notable current player in MLB: Julio César Urías (Dodgers)
Right now, “El Culichi” as he’s nicknamed in his country, is the cornerstone of the Dodgers’ rotation, as he showed when he was a key piece of the team that won the World Series in 2020. The lefty from La Higuerita, near Cualiacán, Sinaloa, became the first Mexican-born pitcher to win the ERA title in either league in 2022, when he led the National League with 2.16 and finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He also led the Majors with 20 wins in 2021. Now Urías will have the honor of being the captain of Team Mexico in the World Baseball Classic in March.
Total of Mexican players on current MLB rosters: 22
Professional leagues -- Mexico has many professional leagues, but two of the most important are Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (LMB), which plays during the summer, and Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (LMP), which is their Winter League and whose champion plays in the Caribbean Series.
Total Major Leaguers all time: 145
First Mexican Major Leaguer: Baldomero “Melo” Almada, Red Sox, 1933
Mexico can take pride in the fact that it has seen 145 players in the big leagues. The first was Baldomero (Melo) Almada, born in Huatabampo, Sonora and who played seven seasons in MLB. Almada was a speedy outfielder who had his best years with the Red Sox.
Melo’s big-league debut came in September 8, 1933, when he played center field for the Red Sox in the first game of a double-header against the Tigers.
The Boston Herald published on October 2, 1933, that Almada was the last player to get a hit off Babe Ruth (October 1). That day, Almada got three hits and worked two walks against “the Great Bambino”.
He finished his career with a .284 average, 15 home runs and 197 RBI. He also played for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Brooklyn Dodgers.
Mexican-born players that have left their mark in MLB
Fernando Valenzuela (1980-1997)
Of course, you can’t talk about the best Mexican Major leaguers in history without mentioning Fernando Valenzuela, who with his charisma and talent became one of the most beloved personalities on the Los Angeles Dodgers and sparked Fernandomania in 1981.
The lefty, born in Etchohuaquila, Sonora, is the only pitcher in MLB history that has earned Cy Young and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season (1981). He was also was a six-time All-Star and led the National League in complete games three times (1981, 1986 and 1987). “El Toro” was member of two World Series champion Dodgers teams in 1981 and 1988 -- though he couldn’t pitch in the 1988 postseason due to injury -- and logged a no-hitter against the Cardinals on June 29, 1990.
According to an MLB.com article by Ken Gurnick, Valenzuela’s 1981 season was the third best in Dodgers’ history for a starting pitcher, surpassed only by Sandy Koufax’s 1966 campaign and Orel Hershiser’s 1988 season.
The Dodgers recently announced that they will retire Fernando’s number 34 during a pregame ceremony at Dodger Stadium in August.
Vinny Castilla (1991-2006)
As a former member of the Blake Street Bombers -- the Rockies’ quartet of sluggers in the 90’s -- Castilla is considered the best Mexican hitter in MLB history. He was a three-time All-Star and finished his career with 320 home runs, the most among Mexican-born players in the Majors.
Vinny played 16 seasons in the big leagues with Atlanta, Colorado, Tampa Bay, Houston, Washington and San Diego. In 1,854 games he finished with 902 runs, 1,884 hits and a .276 average.
Adrián González (2004-2018)
Though born in San Diego, “El Titán” is one of the historical faces of Mexican baseball after playing 15 big league seasons with the Rangers, Padres, Red Sox, Dodgers and Mets. He was a five-time All-Star and won four Gold Gloves and two Silver Slugger Awards. He retired second among Mexican-born players in home runs (314) and is first in RBI (1,193).
Joakim Soria (2007-2021)
Soria pitched 14 Major League seasons as a reliever. Born in Monclova, Coahuila, Soria spent half of his career with the Royals after being selected from the Padres in the 2005 Rule 5 Draft. Soria quickly became a key piece in the Kansas City bullpen and later established himself as their closer, logging 162 of his 229 career saves for the Royals. The righty was a two-time All-Star.
Beto Ávila (1949-1959)
In his 11-year career, Ávila played for the Braves, Orioles, Red Sox and Cleveland, where he had his best stint in the big leagues from 1952 to 1955. The infielder, known in the Majors as Bobby, earned three All-Star appearances and was AL batting champion in 1954 with a .341 average.
Aurelio Rodríguez (1967-1983)
Rodríguez stood out for being a great defender at the hot corner. In 1976, he won a Gold Glove with the Tigers and was well-known for his strong arm.
In 1966, Beto Ávila praised Aurelio Rodríguez saying, “This guy has everything to be in the big leagues. His fielding is impeccable, and if his hitting improves, he’ll be there to stay." And Ávila was right.
Honorable mentions: Teodoro “Teddy” Higuera, Óliver Pérez, Jorge “Charolito” Orta, Erubiel Durazo, Esteban Loaiza.
Future Mexican star in MLB? Marcelo Mayer
As a 20-year-old, Mayer is the No. 9 prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline.
The Chula Vista, California-born shortstop was the fourth overall pick by the Red Sox in the 2021 MLB Draft and made history when he became the Mexican player with the highest signing bonus ($6 million) from a big league organization.
In 2022, only his second year as a professional, the infielder finished his season getting called up to High A. Overall, he hit .280/.399/.489 with 13 home runs, 30 doubles, 17 steals and 53 RBI. The scouting reports point out Mayer’s glove, with great range, good athletic ability and a productive bat. The left-handed hitter only has seen playing time as a shortstop.
Mayer comes from a great baseball bloodline, whose most notable name is his great-uncle Héctor “Chero” Mayer, born in Nogales, Sonora and a veteran of the Minor Leagues with the Cardinals organization before becoming a star with Diablos Rojos del México (LMB) and Mayos de Navojoa (LMP) in the 50’s.
Mayer could debut in the Majors as soon as 2024.
Most notable moment in Mexican baseball history: Mexico eliminates Team USA in the 2006 WBC.
In the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006, Mexico and Team USA squared for a second time -- after facing off in the first round -- at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, and the Mexican squad won 2-1 to knock out USA.
Also of note: Mexico again defeated Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, this time 5-2 at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Mexico has captured the third most Caribbean Series titles with nine.
Historic moment by a Mexican-born player in MLB: Fernando Valenzuela’s win against the Yankees in the 1981 World Series
On October 23, 1981, the Dodgers were down 2-0 in the Fall Classic and Tommy Lasorda’s team was in a must-win Game 3 against New York. In that game, Los Angeles prevailed 5-4 behind a gutsy outing from the rookie lefty. Valenzuela gave up nine hits and six walks in a 146-pitch complete game that changed the course of the series, sending the Dodgers to three straight wins after that to capture the Fall Classic.