Dorados de Chihuahua (English: Chihuahua Goldens) are a refounded
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
team from the city of
Chihuahua. Recently, the Tuneros de San Luis moved to Chihuahua and took the Dorados namesake, which also brought the LMB (AAA)
Mexican Baseball League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
to Chihuahua for the first time since 1982. The Dorados played their home games at
Estadio Chihuahua. The Dorados will be sold to either
Nuevo Laredo
Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, United States. The 2010 census population of the city was 373,725. Nuevo Lare ...
or
Aguascalientes
Aguascalientes (; ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Aguascalientes), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and ...
for the 2011–2012 season.
El Manana article: Apoya LMB entrada de Dorados (LMB supports the entrance of Dorados to Nuevo Laredo)
(es)
Dorados de Chihuahua baseball history
Mexican League 1940
The Mexican League
The Mexican League (, ) is a professional baseball league based in Mexico and the oldest running professional league in the country.
The league has 18 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five te ...
was founded in 1925 with 5 teams and slowly grew. By the late 1930s and 40s, the league was drawing the top players from the Negro leagues
The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...
, including Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige (July 7, 1906 – June 8, 1982) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played in Negro league baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). His career spanned five decades and culminated with his induction in ...
, Cool Papa Bell
James Thomas "Cool Papa" Bell (May 17, 1903 – March 7, 1991) was an American center fielder in Negro league baseball from 1922 to 1946. He is considered to have been one of the fastest men ever to play the game. Stories demonstrating Bell's s ...
, Martin Dihigo Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
, Ray Dandridge
Raymond Emmitt Dandridge (August 31, 1913 – February 12, 1994), nicknamed "Hooks" and "Squat", was an American third baseman in baseball's Negro leagues. Dandridge excelled as a third baseman and he hit for a high batting average. By the time th ...
and Willie Wells
Willie James Wells (August 10, 1906 – January 22, 1989), nicknamed "The Devil," was an American baseball player. He was a shortstop who played from 1924 to 1948 for various teams in the Negro leagues and in Latin America.
Wells was a fast ...
. Native Mexican talent was almost run out of the league in 1940, when many Cuban and Negro league stars took central stage – only a handful of Mexican players like Angel Castro and Jesus Valenzuela Jesus Valenzuela, also known as ''Joaquin Ocomorenia'', the alias used by him as a member of the Five Joaquins Gang, born in Pueblo de Murrieta, he was the brother of Joaquin and Teodoro Valenzuela and a cousin of Joaquin Murrieta and his brothers ...
were competitive with the foreign imports. Three Negro leaguers won Triple Crowns in a 4-year period – since then only three other players have won Triple Crowns in the Mexican League. The Dorados de Chihuahua joined the Mexican League in 1940. The Golden men were 14-67 and 42 games out of first in dead last. The teams loan super stars were Lonnie Summers and Jacinto Roque, both of whom spent time on other clubs. The Dorados also played in the short-lived Mexican National League The Mexican National League was a professional baseball circuit that operated briefly in 1946. It was officially ranked as a Class B league in Organized Baseball and included six clubs that represented the cities of Mexico, Chihuahua, Ciudad Juáre ...
in 1946.
Arizona–Texas League 1952
Formed from the Arizona State League
The Arizona State League was a minor league baseball league that existed from 1928 to 1930. It operated as a six–team Class D-level league, and consisted of teams based in Arizona and Texas, evolving into the Arizona-Texas League in 1931.
His ...
in 1931, the Arizona–Texas League
The Arizona–Texas League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league that existed for nine seasons, from 1931–32, 1937–41, 1947–50 and 1952-54. In 1951, the Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League (based primarily ...
was a class D circuit that ran from '31-'32 and '37-'39. In '40-'41 it was promoted to class C, then halted play from 1942 to 1946. In '47-'50 the league again organized and competed until 1951 when it merged with the Sunset League
The Sunset League was a minor league baseball circuit that operated from 1947 through 1950.
The Sunset League was a Class C level league, with franchises based in the United States and Mexico. The league expanded from six to eight teams from ...
to form the Southwest International League
The Southwest International League was a minor league baseball league that operated from 1951 through 1952. The league was formed through the merger of the Sunset League and Arizona–Texas League in 1951. The league hosted franchises based in ...
. Chihuahua Dorados joined the league towards the end in 1952, winning 57 and losing 83, finishing 27 and 1/2 games out of first. Though the team did not win as many games as expected, they drew an impressive 130,329 fans in 70 home games in 1952; out drawing every other team in the league by double.
The Central Mexican League 1956-57
The Central Mexican League
The Mexican Center League was a Class C Minor League Baseball circuit that operated in 1956 and 1957.
History
By 1955, the outlaw Mexican League was struggling for survival during its confrontation against Major League Baseball. As a result, A ...
was a class C operation which lasted two seasons, 1956 and 1957. The six-team circuit was very offense-friendly and ERAs over 8 were about as common as ERAs under 3.50. Both the City of Juarez and Chihuahua represented the state of Chihuahua Mexico. In 1956 the great pitcher Marte de Alejandro propelled Chihuahua to a second-place finish behind the Saltillo Saraperos by only a half game, with an astounding 129 strikeouts and 18 victories in the short season of only 100 games. Both teams had equal records on the last day of the season, yet a loss by Chihuahua and a forfeit by Saltillo's opponent gave the crown to the Saraperos. Chihuahua's manager Manuel Arroyo
Manuel Arroyo (born 6 July 2002) is an Argentine rugby union player, currently playing for Italian United Rugby Championship side Benetton. His preferred position is Hooker.
Signed in August 2022 as ''Academy Player'', he made his debut for Be ...
was furious, and promised a local paper that the Dorados would win in 1957, which they did. 1957 marked the Gold men's first crown outright, posting a 62 and 38 record behind the great pitching of Antonio Dicochea, 17 wins and 157 Strikeouts.
Arizona–Mexico League 1958
In 1955 the Arizona–Texas League
The Arizona–Texas League was a Class D level American minor league baseball league that existed for nine seasons, from 1931–32, 1937–41, 1947–50 and 1952-54. In 1951, the Arizona-Texas loop merged with the Sunset League (based primarily ...
became the Arizona–Mexico League
The Arizona–Mexico League was a Minor League Baseball league in the southwestern U.S. and northwestern Mexico, that operated as an affiliated Class C league that existed from 1955–58, and then again in 2003 as an independent baseball league ...
. The circuit continued only four more seasons before the class C league bid adieu to baseball. During these four seasons more than 1,700,000 fans went through the gate. The Cananea Mineros was the only team to win more than one league title, taking two back to back, in 1955 and 1956. They drew 347,247 fans those two years. Chihuahua joined the league for its final year in 1958. In 1958 the Dorados, skippered by Leonel Aldama, went 56 and 62 falling to fourth place, yet still leading the league in 58 with 59,917 fans in attendance.
Mexican League 1973–1982
Returning to the Mexican League in 1973, Chihuahua, now under the name Centauros de Chihuahua in relation to a nickname for , went 527 and 776. Never climbing above second place, the Centauros were a fan favorite drawing the most fans over the 10-year stretch.
Independent Semi Pro State Baseball 1985–2002
For much of the next 20 years Chihuahua was without a professional team, instead a sponsored independent city team was organized to play against other independent teams in the surrounding area. Many college and high school players from the Texas-Louisiana league, along with stragglers form the now defunct Western League spent time playing among these teams gaining valuable experience and giving the crowds a great show. Some of the greatest imports from the US during this time were: pitcher Duke Richards later with the Alexandria Aces
The Alexandria Aces were a baseball team based in Alexandria, Louisiana. The last version of the Aces played in the United League Baseball in 2013. The Aces have played their home games at historic Bringhurst Field, which was built in 1933 for the ...
19 wins and 3 losses, catcher Moose Edmunds from the Bend Bandits
The Bend Bandits were a minor league baseball team located in Bend, Oregon. The team played in the independent Western Baseball League, and was not affiliated with any Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional bas ...
, .329 avg with 15 home runs and 4 steals of home (two coming in one game), outfielder George Wallace Johnson Jr 62 Stolen Bases, and Tim Leone cut from the Edinburg Roadrunners
The Edinburg Roadrunners were a professional baseball team based in Edinburg, Texas, in the United States. The Roadrunners were a member of the United League Baseball, an independent professional league which is not affiliated with Major League B ...
, was a heavy hitting first baseman who clubbed an amazing 40 home runs in one season for Chihuahua.
Mexican League 2003–2010
2003 marked official talks and action to bring Chihuahua back into the LMB, along with its cousin Juarez. In 2007 The Mexican League announced the San Luis Potosí
San Luis Potosí (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of San Luis Potosí ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de San Luis Potosí), is one of the 32 states which compose the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and i ...
Tuneros were moving to the city of Chihuahua, where the team became known as the Dorados. The Tuneros finished out of the playoffs in 2007 with an overall record of 49-61, which ranked 15th among 16 Liga teams in attendance. Just over 68,000 fans turned out for games in San Luis Potosí for an average of about 1,200 fans per game. Only the perpetually cash-strapped Campeche Piratas
The Piratas de Campeche (English: Campeche Pirates) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB) based in Campeche, Campeche, Mexico.
History
In 1980, the Alacranes de Durango moved to Campeche, and played their home games at Ven ...
did worse at the gate. Although the Tuneros never won an LMB pennant in San Luis, the old Chihuahua Dorados failed to even make the Mexican League playoffs in twelve seasons in the 1970s and 1980s. The new Dorados featured such holdovers from the Tuneros as Sharnol Adriana
Sharnol Leonard Adriana (born November 13, 1970) is a Curaçaoan-Dutch baseball player and coach. He spent several minor league seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays organization before moving to the Mexican League. As of 2020, he is a coach for the Sp ...
, Darryl Brinkley and Pat O'Sullivan.
As the Liga's most northwesterly city after Tijuana
Tijuana ( ,["Tijuana"](_blank)
(US) and [< ...]
, the Dorados remained in the LMB Northern Division until 2010.
Managers
* ''1952'' Domingo Santana
Domingo Alberto Santana (born August 5, 1992) is a Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Bre ...
and Marvin Williams
Marvin Gaye Williams Jr. (born June 19, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played one season of college basketball for North Carolina before being drafted second overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2005 NBA draft.
Hi ...
.
* ''1956–1957'' Manuel Arroyo
Manuel Arroyo (born 6 July 2002) is an Argentine rugby union player, currently playing for Italian United Rugby Championship side Benetton. His preferred position is Hooker.
Signed in August 2022 as ''Academy Player'', he made his debut for Be ...
* ''1958'' Leonel Aldama
References
{{Reflist
Resources
Chihuahua Dorados
Baseball Almanac
Chihuahua City
Sports teams in Chihuahua (state)
Former Mexican League teams
Defunct Arizona-Texas League teams