The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are 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 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 ...

. 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 de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

. They have won three championships (1980, 2009, and 2010). The 1979 Saraperos were recognized as one of the 100 greatest minor league teams of all time.

History

The Saraperos joined the

in 1970. The team was developed during a dinner held by the members of the Committee for Construction of the Cathedral of

, led by its president, Don Jorge Torres Casso. Initial discussions concerned the cost of the franchise, including purchase of players. With the support of the Governor and the Mayor of Saltillo, the Saraperos organized with Don Jorge Torres Casso as president, Mr. Flavio Trevino, Javier López del Bosque and Gustavo Lara Ramos as vice-presidents, Eleazar Galindo as treasurer and Flores Valdez Eustolio as secretary. The Saraperos had successful seasons during the 1970s, reaching the league play-offs and finishing as runners-up in 1971, 1972, and 1973. The 1980 season was suspended due to a player's strike, known as "The Curse of the Anabe". The

decided to conduct a special season mini-championship, won by the Saraperos. The Saraperas were runners-up again in 1988, losing to the Mexican Red Devils in 5 games. In late 1998, Sinaloan Juan Manuel Ley purchased the franchise from Javier Siller Saltillo. This marked the beginning of a new era for the team. After this purchase the home stadium, Estadio Francisco I. Madero, underwent major renovations to expand capacity, all games were broadcast on a local television network in Saltillo, and promotions began to entice families to attend games. The 1999 season was a resounding success with Saltillo Plaza as the most attended game of the season and after three years without a postseason (1996-8) they qualified for the playoffs with third place in the General Table quarterfinals, but were eliminated after 6 games against the

Campeche Pirates 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 Ve ...

. During the semifinals, the Saraperos faced the Mexico Red Devils in 7 intense games; the Red Devils went on to win the championship of the 1999 season. The Saraperos were the most successful club in the 1999-2005 phase of the

, leading in club attendance at the league level and qualifying for the playoffs in all 7 seasons of that period, playing exciting postseason series. Notably, the Sarapera roster included the renowned pitcher Luis Ayala (currently of the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

) during this era. It was said that there was a curse on the Saraperos of Saltillo during this time: "Saraperos will not be champions until Francisco Paquin Estrada Saltillo is the manager." Estrada Saltillo was the manager of the Pirates of Campeche, to whom the Saraperos lost in the 2004 championship final. Although they lost the final of 2004, the Saraperos were the two-time champions of the Northern Zone (Finals runner up), with titles won in 2004 and 2005. Their high level of play continued with additional play-offs qualifications in 2006–2013. Despite the team "curse", the Saraperos won the league championship in the 2009 season, led by manager Orlando Sanchez. These finals were won after 6 games against the

Tigres de Quintana Roo The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve champio ...

. In 2010, they returned to the championship to defend their title, winning in 5 games against rivals

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: "Puebla Parrots") are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla, Mexico. History The state of Puebla came upon baseball in the early 1920s when returning Poblanos that had come from militar ...

Stadium

The Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero, is a baseball stadium that is part of the Ciudad Deportiva Francisco I. Madero in

, Coahuila. It was built in 1964 and is located on the corner of Boulevard Jesus Valdez Sanchez Nazario Ortiz Garza Blvd, east of the city. Over the years, the stadium has undergone several changes including the expansion of its seating capacity from 7,500 to its current 16,000 in late 1998. Prior to the 2011 season, about $87 billion, funded by the State Government of Coahuila and the team, were invested to renovate the stadium. The Mexican League All-Star Game was held at the stadium in 1986, 2002, and 2011. The 2002 event was an international match between the teams of Mexico and Cuba.

Current roster

References

External links

* {{Mexican League Sports teams in Coahuila Saltillo Baseball teams established in 1970 Mexican League teams 1970 establishments in Mexico