Mexican League (baseball)

The Mexican League (Spanish: Liga Mexicana de Béisbol) is a summer minor league baseball league with teams based across Mexico. Along with the International League and the Pacific Coast League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball. It's the only Minor League Baseball (MiLB)-sanctioned Triple-A league outside the United States . The Mexican League has two minor leagues of its own, the Liga Norte de Mexico and the Liga de Béisbol del Noroeste de México.

History

When it was founded in 1925, the league included six teams (74 Regimiento, México, Agraria, Nacional, Guanajuato and Águila). Since then, the league has expanded to sixteen teams, divided equally into a north and a south zone, the champions of which meet to contest a best-of-seven game playoff series. The season begins in mid-March with the playoffs running through mid-August.

Gardella v. Chandler (US Court of Appeals, 2nd Circuit)

Claim by baseball player (Gardella) against the Commissioner of Baseball (Chandler) and National League (Frick, President) and American League (Harridge, President) that they were engaged in interstate commerce because the defendants had made contracts with radio broadcasting and television companies that sent narratives or moving pictures of the games across state lines.

Gardella had previously played for the New York Giants and was being blacklisted from “organized baseball” because he had broken his contract and gone to play professional baseball in Mexico.

Judges use Federal Baseball Club of Baltimore v. National League of Professional Baseball Clubs to uphold that the baseball leagues and commissioner are not violating anti-trust rulings because they are not doing anything different than was done when the previous ruling occurred. Included in the previous ruling was the fact that the baseball leagues could transmit information about their games via telegraph wires. And, because the leagues are only negotiating, their actions in negotiating the television and radio broadcasts are no different than their actions with telegraphs. Therefore the previous decision can be upheld. Judges also assert that this the previous decision hasn’t been objected by Congress, so it must also be of the opinion of congress that baseball does not fall under the rules of the Anti-Trust Act. (Of course, consider that some judges felt differently, but ruling was overall in favor of the Leagues.)

The ruling went untested until Mexican League was formed after WWII -- players who went to play for ML got blacklisted from MLB (ex. Danny Gardella). Gardella sued MLB; second court of appeals said that now that MLB was involved with radio and TV, it was part of interstate commerce and was covered by Sherman Act (antitrust laws) and that the reserve clause was repugnant b/c of involuntary servitude, but the MLB then settled with Gardella and offered all Mexican League jumpers amnesty -- protected the ambiguity surrounding the antitrust protection.

Teams

Current teams

Defunct teams

• Alacranes de Durango (Durango Scorpions)
• Algodoneros de Union Laguna (Union Laguna Cotton Pickers) (Torreón)
• Alijadores de Tampico (Tampico Lightermen)
• Angeles Negros De Puebla (Puebla Angels)
• Astros de Monclova (Monclova Astros)
• Astros de Tampico (Tampico Astros)
• Azules de Coatzacoalcos (Coatzacoalcos Blues)
• Bravos de León (León Braves)
• Cachorros de León (León Cubs)
• Cafeteros de Cordoba (Cordoba Coffee Growers)
• Cafeteros de Cordoba/Petroleros de Poza Rica (Cordoba Coffee Growers/Poza Rica Oilers)
• Charros de Jalisco (Jalisco Charros) (Guadalajara, Jalisco)
• Chileros de Xalapa (Xalapa Chili Growers)
• Ganaderos de Tabasco (Tabasco Cattlemen)
• Indios de Ciudad Juarez (Ciudad Juárez Indians)
• Industriales de Monterrey (Monterrey Industrialists)
• Langosteros de Cancun (Cancun Lobstermen)
• Mineros de Coahuila (Coahuila Miners)
• Piratas de Sabinas (Sabinas Pirates)
• Plataneros de Tabasco (Tabasco Banana Growers)
• Potros de Minatitlán (Minatitlán Colts)
• Rieleros de Aguascalientes (Aguascalientes Railroaders)
• Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (Two Laredos Owls)
• Tigres de Puebla (Puebla Tigers)
• Toros de Tijuana (Tijuana Bulls)
• Truchas de Toluca (Toluca Trouts)
• Tuneros de San Luis (San Luis Prickly pear pickers)

Champions

Current teams' records and statistics

See also

• Mexican Pacific League (Spanish: Liga Mexicana del Pacífico)
• Minor League Baseball Awards

References

1. ^ Won Title As while playing in Puebla
2. ^ Won Title As Angeles De Puebla
3. ^ Won Title As Angeles Negros De Puebla
4. ^ Won Title As 74 Regimiento first champion in the leagues History

• (Spanish) Official site
• Bilingual coverage on minorleaguebaseball.com

Categories: Mexican League | Organizations established in 1925 | Baseball in Mexico | Minor league baseball leagues | Latin American baseball leagues | Sport leagues in Mexico | Sports in Laredo, Texas | Baseball competition stubs