BCL 2025 | The Diablos Rojos de Mexico are crowned champions of the II American Baseball Champions League after defeating the Las Tunas Leñadores 6-1 in the final

José Luis Bravo pitched four scoreless innings, with the bullpen taking over and allowing just one run for the remainder of the game. This performance led the Diablos Rojos of Mexico to a 6-1 victory over the Leñadores de Las Tunas in the championship game of the II Baseball Champions League of the Americas, held at the Alfredo Harp Helú stadium in Mexico City on Sunday afternoon.

Box score

This marked Mexico's first championship in this competition, which started in 2023, with the Fargo-Moorhead Red Hawks from the United States winning the inaugural edition.

The Diablos Rojos were undeniably the top team in the tournament, ending as the sole undefeated team across five games. They boasted the best pitching staff in a competition marked by aggressive offensive play from the teams, which was further enhanced by the altitude of Mexico City.

In the championship game this Sunday, the standout performance came from the Mexican team's pitchers, who held the tournament's top-performing offense to just five hits, allowing only one run.

For the Leñadores, in the top of the fifth inning, with the score at 2-0 and one out, Yuniesky Larduet walked. Roel Santos then hit a double, putting runners on second and third. Yoelkis Guibert followed with a single through the second base position, driving in a run to narrow the gap for the Cubans to 2-1 after Luis V. Mateo had struck out.

The Leñadores had an opportunity to even the score, but with runners on first and third, left-handed reliever Conner Menez struck out Yosvani Alarcón, stopping any additional runs in the inning.

Guibert's hit would be the Leñadores' final one of the game, as they were shut down over the last four innings, managing only two baserunners in the seventh. Larduet got on base due to an error by shortstop Juan Carlos Gamboa, and Santos walked. During this seventh inning, which turned out to be Las Tunas' last significant opportunity, with two men on base and only one out, Japanese reliever Tomohiro Anraku took charge, striking out Mateo and ending the inning by getting Guibert to ground out to second.

Trevor Clifton and Stephen Nogosek delivered flawless performances in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, each recording a strikeout, to secure a well-earned win for the renowned Mexican team.

The Diablos Rojos aimed to take control of the game from the start when, in the first inning facing Cuban right-handed starter Andy Vargas, the seasoned former MLB pitcher Robinson Canó hit a solo home run.

The Diablos Rojos extended their lead in the second inning, when José Rondón hit a solo home run, giving them a two-run advantage that proved sufficient for the victory.

Vargas managed to recover and prevent runs in the following two innings, allowing his team a chance to get back into the game. However, after Guibert reduced the deficit by half in the top of the fifth, the Devils accelerated their efforts in the bottom of the inning, scoring two more runs. In that inning, Vargas walked Francisco Mejía, who was leading off. Mejía was then forced out at second by a groundout from Luis Liberato, but Canó kept the inning going with a single to right, advancing Liberato to third. A single to center by José Marmolejos brought in the Diablos' third run, leading to Vargas being taken off the mound.

The right-handed pitcher threw 77 pitches—46 of which were strikes—across 4 1/3 innings, conceding four earned runs and six hits, while recording five strikeouts and three walks, ultimately taking the loss.

Yankiel Mauris was called upon to work, but he couldn't prevent Arístides Aquino's single to left, which brought Canó home with the second run of the inning and the Diablos Rojos' fourth of the game.

In the seventh inning, still against Mauris, the Devils scored an additional run. Liberato and Canó hit back-to-back singles, with Canó achieving his fourth hit of the game, that moved Liberato to third base. He then scored from third on Marmolejos' sacrifice fly to left field. Marmolejos drove in two of the Diablos' six runs.

In the following inning, the Diablos secured the final score. With one out against right-hander Albert Valladares, Carlos Sepúlveda hit a single to right, advanced to second on a walk, and soon scored on Liberato's single to left.

Conner Menez earned the win for Diablos Rojos de México. (Photo by DRM)

Besides starter Bravo for the Diablos, reliever Conner Menez, who earned the win, pitched two innings, giving up Cuba's sole run while recording four strikeouts and one walk. Anraku, Trevos Clifton, and Stephen Nogosek each pitched one inning without conceding a hit, collectively contributing three of the twelve strikeouts the team had against the Leñadores this afternoon.

After the tournament concluded, Dominican Robinson Canó was selected as the tournament's most valuable player.

The Champions League of the Americas title marked the Diablos Rojos' second tournament victory since September of last year, when they broke a 10-year drought by winning the Mexican Baseball League's King's Series. It was also the team's first triumph in international competitions.

For the Las Tunas Leñadores, this was another chance to encounter a different style of baseball and marked an enhancement in their performance, following their loss in the semifinals of the Series of the Americas last January.

The World Baseball Softball Organization (WBSC) plans to extend a tournament similar to this one from the Americas to other parts of the world, with the ultimate goal of creating a genuine global Champions League in the future.

The date for the next edition of the Champions League of the Americas has yet to be announced.