Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Mexican League season | |
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | June 28, 1925 |
| President | Horacio de la Vega[1] |
| No. of teams | 20 |
| Country | Mexico |
| Headquarters | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Confederation | WBSC Americas[2] |
| Most recent champion(s) | Diablos Rojos del México (17th title) |
| Most titles | Diablos Rojos del México (17 titles) |
| TV partner(s) | Claro[3] ESPN[4] Fox Sports[5] Hi Sports Televisa[6] TV Azteca[7] |
| Official website | www |
The Mexican Baseball League (Spanish: Liga Mexicana de Béisbol, or LMB, lit. 'Mexican Baseball League') is a professional baseball league based in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country.[8]
The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games each season. Five teams in each division advance to a four-round postseason tournament that culminates in the Serie del Rey, a best-of-seven championship series between the two division champions. The Mexican League has two affiliated minor leagues, the Liga Norte de México and Mexican Academy League.
Founded in 1925, LMB grew substantially in the immediate post-World War II era thanks to the efforts of Jorge Pasquel, who greatly increased the quality and visibility of the league by luring players from Major League Baseball (MLB). The conflict between the Mexican League and "organized baseball" was resolved in 1955, when the Mexican League joined the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues with a Double-A designation; some LMB clubs entered player development contracts with National League teams. Triple-A classification was granted in 1967. As part of a broader reorganization of the minor leagues, the Mexican League returned to its previous independent status in 2021.
The Mexican League is the ninth-wealthiest professional sports league by revenue in North America, and the second-wealthiest baseball league in the western hemisphere, behind only Major League Baseball. Despite losing Triple-A classification in 2021, it is considered among the more competitive baseball leagues in Latin America.[9][10]
- ^ "Horacio De la Vega es nombrado Presidente de la LMB". Liga Mexicana de Béisbol (in Spanish). Minor League Baseball. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Associated Members of the WBSC". World Baseball Softball Confederation. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ includes Claro Sports
- ^ includes ESPN 2 and ESPN 3
- ^ includes Fox Sports 2
- ^ includes TUDN
- ^ Includes Azteca Digital
- ^ "Mexican Baseball Is Finally Eliminating One of the Worst Unwritten Rules in Sports". VICE Sports. December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
- ^ Kroeger, Garrett (June 19, 2022). "'It's overlooked': Mexican League players believe league should be considered as one of best worldwide". Laredo Morning Times.
- ^ "Top 10 Baseball Leagues in the World". Top Velocity. March 11, 2024.