The Quintana Roo Tigers (), formerly known as the Mexico (City) Tigers () 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 ...
based in
Cancun,
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
. The team is part of the Southern Division (). The team has won twelve championships to date: 1955, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2011, 2013, and 2015.
The Tigres were founded in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
in 1955 and played there through the 2006 season. The team was founded by industrial businessman
Alejo Peralta, and was long owned by his son,
Carlos Peralta
Carlos Peralta is a Mexican businessman and baseball team owner.
After inheriting the construction business from his father Alejo Peralta, he expanded it into electronics. In 2001, he sold the company's stake in Iusacell to Vodafone for $973 mil ...
. The team was purchased by an ownership group including
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
All-Star
pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...
Fernando Valenzuela
Fernando Valenzuela Anguamea (, born November 1, 1960) is a Mexican former professional baseball pitcher. Valenzuela played 17 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons, from to and to . While he played for six MLB teams, he is best remembered f ...
in 2017.
They have a competitive and long-standing rivalry known as the (Civil War) against their former
crosstown rivals the
Diablos Rojos del Mexico
The Diablos Motorcycle Club, or Diablos MC for short, is a " one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club that has chapters in cities across the United States.
John E. Irvin, president of the Diablos' San Fernando Valley chapter, and Thomas E. Pastor, ...
. The Tigres won the Mexican League championship in their inaugural season, an achievement that has never been matched, and was dubbed: "" (). The Tigres are a perennial powerhouse and have won 18 division and 12 league championships since their inception.
Franchise history
On 14 April 1955, the Tigres made their debut at the Julio Molina ballpark in
Mérida, Yucatán
Mérida () is the capital of the Mexican state of Yucatán, and the largest city in southeastern Mexico. The city is also the seat of the eponymous Municipality. It is located in the northwest corner of the Yucatán Peninsula, about 35 km (22 ...
. Their inaugural game represented the determination of entrepreneurs Don Alejo Peralta and Díaz Cevallos to support the sport that by then was submerged in a financial crisis.
Tigres Capitalinos
The Tigres played in
Mexico City
Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
from its inception until 2001, when the team moved to
Puebla City
Puebla de Zaragoza (; nah, Cuetlaxcoapan), formally Heroica Puebla de Zaragoza, formerly Puebla de los Ángeles during colonial times, or known in English simply as Puebla, is the seat of Puebla Municipality. It is the capital and largest city ...
. The team was known as Tigres del México o Tigres Capitalinos. During these years, the team played at the
Parque del Seguro Social
Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for " park", and may refer to:
* Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia
* Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal
* Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico
* Jim ...
and later at the
Foro Sol
Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.
The venue was originally built fo ...
, starting in 2000, after the Parque del Seguro Social was demolished in order to build a shopping mall.
On their last two seasons in Mexico City, the Tigres won back to back championships, defeating rivals
Diablos Rojos del México
The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their hom ...
.
Move to Puebla
In 2002, the team moved to Puebla and changed its name to Tigres de la Angelópolis.
50th anniversary season
In commemoration of their first 50 years of competition, an alternate logo was designed in 2005. The Tigres played their 50th season relying only on Mexican players, making the championship more significant. Furthermore, the 2005 season was named "Ing. Alejo Peralta" in memory of the Tigres' founder and father of the then-owner.
New home for 2007
At the end of the 2006 season, the club's president,
Carlos Peralta
Carlos Peralta is a Mexican businessman and baseball team owner.
After inheriting the construction business from his father Alejo Peralta, he expanded it into electronics. In 2001, he sold the company's stake in Iusacell to Vodafone for $973 mil ...
, announced that the team would move to the city of
Cancún
Cancún ( ), often Cancun in English (without the accent; or ) is a city in southeast Mexico on the northeast coast of the Yucatán Peninsula in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. It is a significant tourist destination in Mexico and the seat ...
,
Quintana Roo
Quintana Roo ( , ), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Quintana Roo ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Quintana Roo), is one of the 31 states which, with Mexico City, constitute the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 11 mu ...
. The team was renamed the Quintana Roo Tigres, and began play in
Beto Ávila Stadium.
Carrillo and Vizcarra era (2009–present)
For the 2009 season, Enrique "Che" Reyes was replaced by
Matías Carrillo as
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
. Carrillo, a former major league player for the
Florida Marlins
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park.
The fran ...
, had been a successful player for Tigres from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s having won five championships as player. The Tigres continued to be a competitive squad under Carrillo and reached the 2009 final series, but lost to
Saraperos de Saltillo
The Saraperos de Saltillo (English: Saltillo Serape Wearers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Francisco I. Madero in Saltillo, Coahuila. They have won three championships (198 ...
. It was two years later, in 2011, when the team reached the final once more, this time facing their perennial rival: the
Diablos Rojos del Mexico
The Diablos Motorcycle Club, or Diablos MC for short, is a " one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club that has chapters in cities across the United States.
John E. Irvin, president of the Diablos' San Fernando Valley chapter, and Thomas E. Pastor, ...
.
2011 championship
In 2011, the Tigres and Diablos would play their eighth finals series against each other since 1966. The Tigres entered the 2011 series as an underdog. Nevertheless, the best-out-of-seven series ended with a 4–0 sweep against Diablos before a sell-out crowd (with a large presence of Tigres supporters) at
Foro Sol
Foro Sol is a sports and entertainment venue built in 1993 inside the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in eastern Mexico City. It is located near the Mexico City International Airport and is operated by Grupo CIE.
The venue was originally built fo ...
.
2013 championship
Despite injuries to key Tigres players, the team won its eleventh championship against the
Sultanes de Monterrey, 4–1, in a best-out-of-seven series.
Championship games
Logos and colors
File:Tigres del México logo.svg, The Tigres' former logo in Mexico City
File:Tigres de Quintana Roo logo.png, Tigres' former logo in Cancun
Roster
Retired numbers
Mexican Baseball Hall of Famers
The following
Hall of Famers played and/or managed for the Tigres.
Notable players
*
Julio Franco
Julio César Franco Robles (born August 23, 1958)Franco's birth date is in question. Many of his early bios and cards have his birthday listed in 1954, and on the roster of the Quintana Roo Tigres, his birthday is listed in 1961. is a Dominica ...
(First Baseman)
*
Tyler Herron
Tyler Daschiel Herron (August 5, 1986 – October 22, 2021) was an American right-handed professional baseball pitcher.
As a senior at Wellington High School in Florida, Herron led the nation with a 0.25 ERA. He was drafted by the St. Louis Ca ...
(1986-2021) (Pitcher)
* Fernando "el Pulpo" Remes (Shortstop)
*
Ismael Valdez Ismael may refer to:
People
* Ismael Balkhi, a political activist from Afghanistan
* Ismael Blanco (born 1983), an Argentine professional footballer
* Ismael Prego "Wismichu", a Spanish youtuber
* Ismael Villegas, a Puerto Rican Major League ...
(Pitcher)
*
Pablo Ortega (Pitcher)
*
Karim García
Gustavo Karim García Aguayo (born October 29, 1975) is a Mexican former professional baseball outfielder. García bats and throws left-handed.
Professional career Minor leagues
Born in Ciudad Obregón, Mexico, García signed as an amateur fre ...
(Outfielder)
*
Jorge Cantú
Jorge Luís Cantú Guzmán (born January 30, 1982) is an American-born Mexican professional baseball infielder for the Diablos Rojos del México of the Mexican League. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Cincin ...
(Infielder)
*
Daryle Ward
Daryle Lamar Ward (born June 27, 1975) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and left fielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1998 to 2008 for the Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirat ...
(First baseman/Outfielder)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Baseball teams in Mexico
Sports teams in Cancún
Baseball teams established in 1955
Mexican League teams
1955 establishments in Mexico