Caliente de Durango is a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Mod ...

team in the Mexican League based in

Durango Durango (), officially named Estado Libre y Soberano de Durango ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Durango; Tepehuán: ''Korian''; Nahuatl: ''Tepēhuahcān''), is one of the 31 states which make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico, situated in ...

. Their home

ballpark A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

is the

Estadio Francisco Villa Estadio Carlos Vega Villalba, formerly known as the Estadio Francisco Villa is a multi-use stadium in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico. It is used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium for the new Ascenso MX side Mineros de Zacatecas. T ...

, with a capacity of 6,000 people. The team was established in 2024 after the former Durango's Mexican League franchise,

Generales de Durango The Generales de Durango (English: Durango Generals) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) that was established in November 2016. The team is based in Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. ...

, was suspended by the league due to its owner's legal problems. The club debuted in the 2024 Mexican League season.

History

The city of

had its first professional baseball team in 1956 when the

Alacranes de Durango Club de Fútbol Alacranes de Durango, is a Mexican football club based in the city of Durango, Durango, Mexico and currently play in the second level of the professional Mexican football league system. Their colors are green, white with black tr ...

joined the

Mexican Central League The Mexican Central League was a Minor League Baseball circuit that operated for 19 seasons, from 1960 through 1978, with several clubs based across Mexico. History The Mexican Central League was formed in 1960 at the Class D level. It was plac ...

, a minor league that served as feeder for the Mexican League. After several years playing in the Mexican Central League, the Alacranes joined the Mexican League in 1976 and played for four seasons, from 1976 to 1979. Professional baseball returned to Durango in 2017, when the

Delfines del Carmen The Delfines del Carmen (English: Carmen Dolphins) were a Mexican Baseball League expansion club based in Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche. They played their home games at the Estadio Resurgimiento in Ciudad del Carmen.Generales de Durango The Generales de Durango (English: Durango Generals) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) that was established in November 2016. The team is based in Durango, the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. ...

. The Generales played in the Mexican League until 2023, but were suspended by the league in February 2024 after its owner, Venezuelan businessman Carlos Lazo, was involved in legal problems accused of fraud. Lazo also owned the Reds de la Ciudad de México of the

Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional The Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (Professional American Football League), commonly known simply as LFA, is a professional american football spring league in Mexico, founded in 2016. Starting with four teams, the LFA has since expanded t ...

(LFA); the Reds were similarly suspended by the LFA. In March 2024 it was officially announced that a new team, owned by Grupo Caliente, would be joining the Mexican League as a replacement for the Generales. The new franchise would retain the same players that the Generales had before being suspended and would remain in Durango, playing in the

. Luis Borges, the Generales manager, and most of the players remained with the new team. The club was presented as Caliente de Durango with red, black and white as its colors, owing to Grupo Caliente's corporate colors. This marked the first time in Mexican professional baseball that a team's name included a corporate sponsor and the decision sparked controversy and mockery amongst fans. Caliente debuted in the Mexican League on 12 April 2024 against the Saraperos de Saltillo, winning its inaugural game 7–4.

Roster

References

{{Mexican League 2024 establishments in Mexico Baseball teams established in 2024 Baseball teams in Mexico Mexican League teams Sports clubs and teams in Durango