# 2021 Mexican League season

The 2021 Mexican League season was the 96th season in the history of the Mexican League. The league was contested by 18 teams, evenly divided in North and South zones. The season started on 20 May with the series between Sultanes de Monterrey and Acereros de Monclova and ended on 15 September with the last game of the Serie del Rey, where Toros de Tijuana defeated Leones de Yucatán to win the championship.
Two teams joined the league for this season: Mariachis de Guadalajara and El Águila de Veracruz, totalling 18 teams. Veracruz returned to the league after a three year absence, when in 2018 the franchise was sold and moved to Nuevo Laredo.
Starting from this season, there were four rounds of playoffs to define the champion. Previously, the Mexican League had three rounds of playoffs.

## Standings

North :
| Rank | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | STK |
| 1 | Mariachis de Guadalajara | 46 | 17 | .730 | – | W1 |
| 2 | Toros de Tijuana | 40 | 25 | .615 | 7.0 | L1 |
| 3 | Saraperos de Saltillo | 36 | 30 | .545 | 11.5 | L1 |
| 4 | Acereros de Monclova | 35 | 31 | .530 | 12.5 | L6 |
| 5 | Rieleros de Aguascalientes | 30 | 31 | .492 | 15.0 | W2 |
| 6 | Algodoneros de Unión Laguna | 31 | 33 | .484 | 15.5 | W3 |
| 7 | Sultanes de Monterrey | 30 | 33 | .476 | 16.0 | W5 |
| 8 | Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos | 30 | 36 | .455 | 17.5 | W1 |
| 9 | Generales de Durango | 20 | 45 | .308 | 27.0 | L5 |
South :
| Rank | Team | W | L | Pct. | GB | STK |
| 1 | Diablos Rojos del México | 41 | 23 | .641 | — | W2 |
| 2 | Olmecas de Tabasco | 36 | 30 | .545 | 6.0 | W1 |
| 3 | Leones de Yucatán | 34 | 30 | .531 | 7.0 | L1 |
| 4 | El Águila de Veracruz | 34 | 31 | .523 | 7.5 | W2 |
| 5 | Pericos de Puebla | 31 | 31 | .500 | 9.0 | W3 |
| 6 | Tigres de Quintana Roo | 32 | 33 | .492 | 9.5 | L3 |
| 7 | Bravos de León | 29 | 37 | .439 | 13.0 | L2 |
| 8 | Piratas de Campeche | 24 | 39 | .381 | 16.5 | L2 |
| 9 | Guerreros de Oaxaca | 20 | 45 | .308 | 21.5 | L12 |

## Postseason

| First round | First round | Zone Series | Zone Series | Championship Series | Championship Series | Serie del Rey | Serie del Rey |
| North | North | | | | |
| Mariachis de Guadalajara | 4 | | | | |
| Algodoneros de Unión Laguna | 3 | | | | |
| Algodoneros de Unión Laguna | 3 | Mariachis de Guadalajara | 4 | | |
| | | Rieleros de Aguascalientes | 2 | | |
| | | | | Mariachis de Guadalajara | 2 |
| | | | | Toros de Tijuana | 4 |
| Toros de Tijuana | 4 | | | Toros de Tijuana | 4 |
| Rieleros de Aguascalientes | 3 | | | | |
| Rieleros de Aguascalientes | 3 | Toros de Tijuana | 4 | | |
| | | Acereros de Monclova | 1 | | |
| Saraperos de Saltillo | 1 | Acereros de Monclova | 1 | | |
| Acereros de Monclova | 4 | | | | | | |
| Acereros de Monclova | 4 | | | | | Toros de Tijuana | 4 |
| South | South | | | | | | Toros de Tijuana | 4 |
| South | South | | | | | Leones de Yucatán | 3 |
| Diablos Rojos del México | 4 | | | | | Leones de Yucatán | 3 |
| Tigres de Quintana Roo | 1 | | | | | | |
| Tigres de Quintana Roo | 1 | Diablos Rojos del México | 4 | | | | |
| | | El Águila de Veracruz | 1 | | | | |
| | | | | Diablos Rojos del México | 1 | | |
| | | | | Leones de Yucatán | 4 |
| Olmecas de Tabasco | 4 | | | Leones de Yucatán | 4 |
| Pericos de Puebla | 1 | | | | |
| Pericos de Puebla | 1 | Olmecas de Tabasco | 1 | | |
| | | Leones de Yucatán | 4 | | |
| Leones de Yucatán | 4 | Leones de Yucatán | 4 | | |
| El Águila de Veracruz | 2 | | | | |

### First round

Mariachis de Guadalajara won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Unión Laguna – 4, Guadalajara – 13 | Estadio Panamericano | 3:36 | 3,099 |
| 2 | August 8 | Unión Laguna – 3, Guadalajara – 7 | Estadio Panamericano | 3:32 | 2,863 |
| 3 | August 10 | Guadalajara – 12, Unión Laguna – 3 | Estadio Revolución | 3:51 | 5,747 |
| 4 | August 11 | Guadalajara – 2, Unión Laguna – 10 | Estadio Revolución | 3:54 | 4,825 |
| 5 | August 12 | Guadalajara – 4, Unión Laguna – 5 | Estadio Revolución | 3:34 | 5,023 |
| 6 | August 14 | Unión Laguna – 13, Guadalajara – 11 | Estadio Panamericano | 4:43 | 3,321 |
| 7 | August 15 | Unión Laguna – 2, Guadalajara – 7 | Estadio Panamericano | 3:40 | 2,299 |
Toros de Tijuana won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Aguascalientes – 6, Tijuana – 1 | Estadio Chevron | 3:00 | 7,101 |
| 2 | August 8 | Aguascalientes – 4, Tijuana – 8 | Estadio Chevron | 3:21 | 6,031 |
| 3 | August 10 | Tijuana – 5, Aguascalientes – 6 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 3:46 | 3,489 |
| 4 | August 11 | Tijuana – 4, Aguascalientes – 5 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 3:53 | 3,233 |
| 5 | August 12 | Tijuana – 5, Aguascalientes – 0 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 3:00 | 2,784 |
| 6 | August 14 | Aguascalientes – 4, Tijuana – 5 | Estadio Chevron | 4:32 | 11,986 |
| 7 | August 15 | Aguascalientes – 4, Tijuana – 6 | Estadio Chevron | 3:47 | 12,021 |
Acereros de Monclova won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Monclova – 5, Saltillo – 4 | Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero | 3:43 | 5,162 |
| 2 | August 8 | Monclova – 2, Saltillo – 4 | Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero | 3:02 | 5,780 |
| 3 | August 10 | Saltillo – 3, Monclova – 6 | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:41 | 5,366 |
| 4 | August 11 | Saltillo – 2, Monclova – 3 | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:11 | 5,413 |
| 5 | August 12 | Saltillo – 1, Monclova – 3 (10 inn.) | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:14 | 5,942 |
Diablos Rojos del México won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Quintana Roo – 12, México – 2 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 3:26 | 5,276 |
| 2 | August 8 | Quintana Roo – 5, México – 7 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 3:27 | 6,195 |
| 3 | August 10 | México – 9, Quintana Roo – 0 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:06 | 2,227 |
| 4 | August 11 | México – 3, Quintana Roo – 0 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:26 | 1,928 |
| 5 | August 12 | México – 8, Quintana Roo – 4 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:46 | 1,521 |
Olmecas de Tabasco won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Puebla – 2, Tabasco – 1 | Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero | 4:07 | 2,236 |
| 2 | August 8 | Puebla – 1, Tabasco – 3 | Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero | 3:04 | 2,370 |
| 3 | August 10 | Tabasco – 14, Puebla – 12 | Estadio Hermanos Serdán | 3:43 | 2,230 |
| 4 | August 11 | Tabasco – 8, Puebla – 3 | Estadio Hermanos Serdán | 3:55 | 2,432 |
| 5 | August 12 | Tabasco – 7, Puebla – 4 | Estadio Hermanos Serdán | 3:28 | 2,133 |
Leones de Yucatán won the series, 4–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 7 | Veracruz – 3, Yucatán – 15 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:36 | 3,476 |
| 2 | August 8 | Veracruz – 8, Yucatán – 3 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:47 | 3,889 |
| 3 | August 10 | Yucatán – 7, Veracruz – 6 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 4:05 | 2,180 |
| 4 | August 11 | Yucatán – 11, Veracruz – 3 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 3:54 | 2,043 |
| 5 | August 12 | Yucatán – 8, Veracruz – 9 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 4:22 | 1,789 |
| 6 | August 14 | Veracruz – 1, Yucatán – 5 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 2:51 | 4,108 |

### Zone Series

Mariachis de Guadalajara won the series, 4–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 17 | Aguascalientes – 7, Guadalajara – 14 | Estadio Panamericano | 4:05 | 2,315 |
| 2 | August 18 | Aguascalientes – 7, Guadalajara – 8 | Estadio Panamericano | 4:18 | 2,672 |
| 3 | August 20 | Guadalajara – 9, Aguascalientes – 6 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 4:17 | 4,350 |
| 4 | August 21 | Guadalajara – 7, Aguascalientes – 9 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 3:45 | 1,915 |
| 5 | August 22 | Guadalajara – 6, Aguascalientes – 9 | Parque Alberto Romo Chávez | 3:27 | 1,755 |
| 6 | August 24 | Aguascalientes – 3, Guadalajara – 10 | Estadio Panamericano | 4:18 | 3,419 |
Toros de Tijuana won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 17 | Monclova – 5, Tijuana – 10 | Estadio Chevron | 3:57 | 8,827 |
| 2 | August 18 | Monclova – 3, Tijuana – 4 | Estadio Chevron | 3:16 | 9,073 |
| 3 | August 20 | Tijuana – 5, Monclova – 4 | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:41 | 5,950 |
| 4 | August 21 | Tijuana – 3, Monclova – 5 | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:17 | 5,950 |
| 5 | August 22 | Tijuana – 10, Monclova – 3 | Estadio de Béisbol Monclova | 3:40 | 5,850 |
Diablos Rojos del México won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 17 | Veracruz – 3, México – 9 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 3:33 | 4,105 |
| 2 | August 18 | Veracruz – 9, México – 14 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 4:12 | 5,658 |
| 3 | August 21 | México – 2, Veracruz – 0 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 3:26 | 2,579 |
| 4 | August 22 | México – 0, Veracruz – 3 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 2:47 | 1,703 |
| 5 | August 23 | México – 5, Veracruz – 2 | Estadio Universitario Beto Ávila | 3:21 | 3,000 |
Leones de Yucatán won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 17 | Yucatán – 6, Tabasco – 7 | Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero | 4:27 | 1,613 |
| 2 | August 18 | Yucatán – 3, Tabasco – 0 | Estadio Centenario 27 de Febrero | 3:24 | 1,655 |
| 3 | August 20 | Tabasco – 2, Yucatán – 4 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 4:53 | 4,467 |
| 4 | August 21 | Tabasco – 1, Yucatán – 5 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:02 | 5,238 |
| 5 | August 22 | Tabasco – 0, Yucatán – 3 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:07 | 5,683 |

### Championship Series

Toros de Tijuana won the series, 4–2.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 27 | Tijuana – 4, Guadalajara – 3 | Estadio Panamericano | 3:56 | 4,438 |
| 2 | August 28 | Tijuana – 11, Guadalajara – 9 | Estadio Panamericano | 4:59 | 4,384 |
| 3 | August 30 | Guadalajara – 4, Tijuana – 3 | Estadio Chevron | 4:02 | 14,896 |
| 4 | August 31 | Guadalajara – 3, Tijuana – 7 | Estadio Chevron | 3:02 | 14,921 |
| 5 | September 1 | Guadalajara – 12, Tijuana – 5 | Estadio Chevron | 3:35 | 14,902 |
| 6 | September 3 | Tijuana – 5, Guadalajara – 4 | Estadio Panamericano | 3:02 | 4,000 |
Leones de Yucatán won the series, 4–1.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | August 27 | Yucatán – 7, México – 6 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 3:45 | 8,426 |
| 2 | August 28 | Yucatán – 6, México – 4 | Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú | 3:40 | 8,746 |
| 3 | August 30 | México – 3, Yucatán – 5 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 2:58 | 6,460 |
| 4 | August 31 | México – 6, Yucatán – 4 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:35 | 6,460 |
| 5 | September 1 | México – 7, Yucatán – 9 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 4:20 | 6,460 |

### Serie del Rey
#### Summary

Toros de Tijuana won the series, 4–3.
| Game | Date | Score | Location | Time | Attendance |
| 1 | September 6 | Yucatán – 7, Tijuana – 3 | Estadio Chevron | 3:39 | 14,297 |
| 2 | September 7 | Yucatán – 7, Tijuana – 1 | Estadio Chevron | 3:17 | 14,989 |
| 3 | September 9 | Tijuana – 0, Yucatán – 2 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 2:48 | 6,460 |
| 4 | September 11 | Tijuana – 6, Yucatán – 2 | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 3:34 | 6,460 |
| 5 | September 12 | Tijuana – 4, Yucatán – 3 (11 inn.) | Parque Kukulcán Alamo | 5:02 | 6,460 |
| 6 | September 14 | Yucatán – 3, Tijuana – 10 | Estadio Chevron | 3:27 | 16,998 |
| 7 | September 15 | Yucatán – 0, Tijuana – 3 | Estadio Chevron | 3:33 | 17,687 |

#### Game summaries
##### Game 1

6 September 2021 7:22 p.m. (UTC–7) at Estadio Chevron in Tijuana, Baja California, 23 °C, clear :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Yucatán | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| Tijuana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
| WP: Radhames Liz (1–0) LP: Mike Devine (0–1) Home runs: YUC: Sebastián Valle (1) TIJ: None Attendance: 14,297 Boxscore |||||||||||||

##### Game 2

7 September 2021 7:06 p.m. (UTC–7) at Estadio Chevron in Tijuana, Baja California, 23 °C :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Yucatán | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 |
| Tijuana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| WP: Yoanner Negrín (1–0) LP: Carlos Hernández (0–1) Home runs: YUC: Yadir Drake (1) TIJ: None Attendance: 14,989 Boxscore |||||||||||||

##### Game 3

9 September 2021 8:16 p.m. (UTC–5) at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán, 26 °C, partly cloudy :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Tijuana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Yucatán | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| WP: Jake Thompson (1–0) LP: Joe Van Meter (0–1) Sv: Josh Lueke (1) Attendance: 6,460 Boxscore |||||||||||||

##### Game 4

11 September 2021 6:01 p.m. (UTC–5) at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán, 29 °C, partly cloudy :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Tijuana | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 1 |
| Yucatán | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 2 | 5 | 0 |
| WP: Teddy Stankiewicz (1–0) LP: Casey Harman (0–1) Home runs: TIJ: Efrén Navarro (1) YUC: None Attendance: 6,460 Boxscore |||||||||||||

##### Game 5

12 September 2021 6:01 p.m. (UTC–5) at Parque Kukulcán Alamo in Mérida, Yucatán, 33 °C, partly cloudy :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
| Tijuana | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 |
| Yucatán | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 2 |
| WP: Fernando Rodney (1–0) LP: Manuel Chávez (0–1) Home runs: TIJ: Leandro Castro (1), Luis Cruz (1) YUC: None Attendance: 6,460 Boxscore |||||||||||||||

##### Game 6

14 September 2021 7:05 p.m. (UTC–7) at Estadio Chevron in Tijuana, Baja California, 23 °C, clear :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Yucatán | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| Tijuana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | X | 10 | 12 | 0 |
| WP: Michael Tonkin (1–0) LP: Yoanner Negrín (1–1) Home runs: YUC: None TIJ: Luis Cruz (1) Attendance: 16,998 Boxscore |||||||||||||

##### Game 7

15 September 2021 7:04 p.m. (UTC–7) at Estadio Chevron in Tijuana, Baja California, 21 °C, clear :
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
| Yucatán | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Tijuana | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | 3 | 10 | 1 |
| WP: Teddy Stankiewicz (2–0) LP: Jake Thompson (1–1) Sv: Fernando Rodney (1) Home runs: YUC: None TIJ: Peter O'Brien (1) Attendance: 17,687 Boxscore |||||||||||||

## Managerial changes
### Offseason

| Team | Former manager | Reason for leaving | New manager | Ref. |
| Diablos Rojos del México | Sergio Omar Gastélum | Fired | Miguel Ojeda | |

### In season

| Team | Former manager | Interim manager | Reason for leaving | New manager |
| Sultanes de Monterrey | Homar Rojas | Antonio Aguilera | Fired | Sergio Omar Gastélum |
| Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos | Pablo Ortega | N/A | Fired | Rafael Rijo |
| Tigres de Quintana Roo | Adán Muñoz | Javier Robles | Fired | Óscar Robles |
| Bravos de León | Tim Johnson | Eddie Castro | Fired | Martín Enríquez |
| Pericos de Puebla | Carlos Gastélum | N/A | Fired | Gerardo Sánchez |
| Leones de Yucatán | Gerónimo Gil | Juan Francisco Rodríguez | Fired | Luis Matos |
| Toros de Tijuana | Omar Vizquel | N/A | Fired | Homar Rojas |

## League leaders

Batting leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| AVG | Leo Heras | Guadalajara | .401 |
| HR | Rainel Rosario | Saltillo | 20 |
| RBI | Leandro Castro | Tijuana | 72 |
| R | Beau Amaral | Guadalajara | 65 |
| H | Leandro Castro | Tijuana | 93 |
| SB | Reynaldo Rodríguez | Tigres | 21 |
| SLG | David Olmedo-Barrera | Puebla | .694 |
Pitching leaders :
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
| ERA | Luis Escobar | Tabasco | 2.54 |
| W | Masaru Nakamura | Guadalajara | 8 |
| SV | Fernando Rodney | Tijuana | 16 |
| IP | Rafael Pineda | Unión Laguna | 77.0 |
| K | Jackson Stephens | Dos Laredos | 69 |
| K | José Valdez | Puebla | 69 |
| WHIP | Jake Thompson | Yucatán | 1.07 |

## Milestones
### Pitchers
#### No-hitters

* Dylan Unsworth (VER): On 28 May, Unsworth threw his first no-hitter in the Mexican League by defeating the Diablos Rojos del México 8–0.

## Awards

| Award | Player | Team |
| Most Valuable Player | Leandro Castro | Tijuana |
| Rookie of the Year | Juan Carlos Camacho | Oaxaca |
| Best Pitcher | Masaru Nakamura | Guadalajara |
| Best Relief Pitcher | Fernando Rodney | Tijuana |
| Manager of the Year | Benji Gil | Guadalajara |