1970–71 Mexican Pacific League season

1970–71 Mexican Pacific League season
LeagueMexican Pacific League
SportBaseball
Duration7 October 1970 – 2 February 1971
Teams8
Season championsNaranjeros de Hermosillo
Season MVP Héctor Espino (Hermosillo)

The 1970–71 Mexican Pacific League season was the 13th season in the history of the Mexican Pacific League (LMP). It was contested by eight teams, two more than the previous season. The season was played in two halves, with teams earning points at the end of each half according to their finish. The four teams with the highest cumulative points qualified for the postseason, that were played in a round robin. If the team that finished first in the regular season and the winner of the postseason round-robin were different, a final series would be played to determine the champion.

Two teams joined the league: the Algodoneros de Guasave and the Mayos de Navojoa. The Mayos had originally debuted in 1962, played for five seasons until 1967, and then returned in this season; while the Algodoneros made their debut in the LMP.[1][2]

The Naranjeros de Hermosillo won their fourth championship, defeating the Cañeros de Los Mochis in the final series 3–1, led by manager Maury Wills. Naranjeros' Héctor Espino won the batting Triple Crown, recording a .348 batting average, 22 home runs and 62 RBI.[3] By winning the LMP title, the Naranjeros became the first Mexican team to participate in the Caribbean Series, doing so in the 1971 tournament.[1][4][5]

Standings

First half

First half standings[6]
Rank Team W L T Pct. GB Pts.
1 Cañeros de Los Mochis 28 15 1 .651 — 8
2 Naranjeros de Hermosillo 26 18 0 .591 2.5 7
3 Yaquis de Obregón 23 19 3 .548 4.5 6
4 Venados de Mazatlán 23 19 3 .548 4.5 5
5 Tomateros de Culiacán 23 21 1 .523 5.5 4
6 Algodoneros de Guasave 17 27 0 .386 11.5 3
7 Ostioneros de Guaymas 17 27 1 .386 11.5 2
8 Mayos de Navojoa 16 27 1 .372 12.0 1

Second half

Second half standings[6]
Rank Team W L T Pct. GB Pts.
1 Naranjeros de Hermosillo 30 13 0 .698 — 8
2 Cañeros de Los Mochis 29 14 0 .674 1.0 7
3 Yaquis de Obregón 27 15 0 .643 2.5 6
4 Venados de Mazatlán 21 21 0 .500 8.5 5
5 Tomateros de Culiacán 18 23 1 .439 11.0 4
6 Mayos de Navojoa 17 25 0 .405 12.5 3
7 Algodoneros de Guasave 16 25 1 .390 13.0 2
8 Ostioneros de Guaymas 10 32 0 .238 19.5 1

General

General standings[6]
Rank Team W L T Pct. GB Pts.
1 Cañeros de Los Mochis 57 29 1 .663 — 15
2 Naranjeros de Hermosillo 56 31 0 .644 1.5 15
3 Yaquis de Obregón 50 34 3 .595 7.0 12
4 Venados de Mazatlán 44 40 3 .524 13.0 10
5 Tomateros de Culiacán 41 44 2 .482 16.5 8
6 Algodoneros de Guasave 33 52 1 .388 24.5 5
7 Mayos de Navojoa 33 52 0 .388 24.5 4
8 Ostioneros de Guaymas 27 59 1 .314 31.0 3

Postseason

Round robin

Rank Team W L Pct. GB
1 Naranjeros de Hermosillo 9 3 .750 —
2 Yaquis de Obregón 8 4 .667 1.0
3 Cañeros de Los Mochis 5 7 .417 4.0
4 Venados de Mazatlán 2 10 .167 7.0

Final series

Summary

Naranjeros de Hermosillo won the series, 3–1.

Game Date Score Location Time Attendance 
1 30 January Hermosillo – 2, Los Mochis – 5 Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada - - 
2 31 January Hermosillo – 6, Los Mochis – 5 Estadio Emilio Ibarra Almada - - 
3 1 February Los Mochis – 0, Hermosillo – 1 Estadio Fernando M. Ortiz - - 
4 2 February Los Mochis – 1, Hermosillo – 3 Estadio Fernando M. Ortiz - -

League leaders

Milestones

Pitchers

Perfect games

  • Vicente Romo (OBR): On 5 January 1971, Romo threw a perfect game against the Ostioneros de Guaymas, winning 12–0. It was the first perfect game in the league’s history.[9]

No-hitters

  • Steve Bailey (GSV): On 28 November 1970, Bailey threw a no-hitter against the Ostioneros de Guaymas. It was the sixth no hitter in the history of the league.[10]

Awards

The following players received awards at the end of the season.[11]

Award Player Team
Manager of the Year Maury Wills Hermosillo
Most Valuable Player Héctor Espino Hermosillo
Rookie of the Year Abelardo Vega Navojoa

References

  1. ^ a b "Campeonato No. 4". Historia de Hermosillo (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  2. ^ Ortega, Jaime (21 May 2025). "Mayos de Navojoa: 66 años de historia llegan a su fin". El Imparcial (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  3. ^ Barrios Fernández, Héctor. "Héctor Espino González II". Beisbol de los Barrios (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 October 2025.
  4. ^ Romero Navarrete, Ignacio (6 February 2020). "En 1971 México asistió por primera vez a la Serie del Caribe". Cuarto Bat (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  5. ^ Álvarez Palafox, Jesús (31 January 2024). "Hace 25 años, Hermosillo fue el primer equipo mexicano en SC". squeezeplay.mx (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Gastélum Duarte, Guillermo. Enciclopedia Conmemorativa del 75 Aniversario de la Liga Mexicana del Pacífico (PDF) (in Spanish). Culiacán, Sinaloa: Moby Dick Editorial. p. 1042. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  7. ^ Gastélum Duarte, p. 41
  8. ^ Gastélum Duarte, p. 85
  9. ^ Kerlegand, Enrique (26 August 2019). "La gran carrera de Vicente Romo". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  10. ^ "Un buen pítcher de debut y despedida para Algodoneros". LMP.mx (in Spanish). 18 August 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  11. ^ Gastélum Duarte, p. 113
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