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Torreon became the first of the teams from the 1962 expansion to earn a playoff spot. The Tomahawks had the best record in the Mexican League in 1967 at 103-59, taking the North Division title. Monterrey, who had won the league three of the last four years, finished second at 88-74 and fell six games short of a wild card. In the South Division, last year’s wild card champ Mexico City won the division at 96-66. Puebla was second at 94-68 and picked up the wild card for their first playoff berth since 1953. Ecatepec, who won 103 games the prior year, dropped to 90-72 and missed the wild card by four games.

Leading Torreon’s first playoff season was centerfielder Santiago Perez, who won the MVP. Perez was the #1 overall draft pick in 1962 and emerged as a star, leading Mexico in 1967 in home runs (53), RBI (123), slugging (.654), and OPS (1.030), adding 8.0 WAR. He had two more great years with the Tomahawks before moving to MLB at age 29, ultimately putting him short of what likely would’ve been a Hall of Fame CABA career. The bright spot for a middling Merida team was Pitcher of the Year Cajetano Ortega. The fourth-year righty was the ERA leader at 1.92 and had 27 quality starts, adding a 16-10 record, 6.9 WAR, and 208 strikeouts over 248.2 innings.



After missing the playoff field last year, Guatemala bounced back with a franchise record 104-58 second, taking the Caribbean League’s Continental Division. Honduras took second at 94-68 and won the wild card, giving the Horsemen 12 playoff appearances in a 15-year stretch. Salvador, who had been a league finalist the prior four seasons, missed the playoff field at 90-72. The Stallions did hit 295 doubles as a team, a Caribbean League record that stood until 2033. In the Island Division, defending CABA champion Jamaica finished on top again, this time with an improved 101-61 record. Trinidad was a distant second at 87-75, but it was a new best for them as one of the other 1962 expansion teams.

Guatemala CF Wesley Dubar won back-to-back MVP awards. The 24-year old stud was the leader in runs (113), slugging (.584), OPS (.949), wRC+ (160), and WAR (8.9), adding 39 home runs and 101 RBI. It was his third straight season as the league’s offensive WARlord. Honduras veteran Oscar Medina won Pitcher of the Year, falling two wins short of a Triple Crown. The 34-year old Costa Rican lefty had numerous career and league bests with a 2.00 ERA, 321 strikeouts, and 10.7 WAR over 274.2 innings with a 21-8 record. After a career high, Medina fell off a cliff with a 3.99 ERA the next year and was out of the game right after.

Mexico City easily swept divisional rival Puebla in the wild card round, while Honduras upset Jamaica in four. The Mexico League Championship Series was an all-timer that went all seven. The final went 10 innings with Mexico City winning 6-5 to deny Torreon its first league title. It was the sixth league title for the Aztecs, although they hadn’t won since 1945. In the Caribbean League Championship Series, Guatemala won its first-ever title, downing Honduras in six.



While Mexico City won the Mexican League title in dramatic fashion, there was no drama required for them in the CABA Championship. The Aztecs swept Guatemala, giving Mexico City its fifth overall title (1924, 1934, 1936, 1945). SS Aaron Valencia won both MLCS and finals MVP. In 13 playoff games, the 28-year old Puerto Rican had 22 hits, 13 runs, 5 home runs, and 12 RBI. Little did the CABA world know that this would be the beginning of an all-time dynasty for the Aztecs that extended into the mid 1970s.



Other notes: Hermosillo’s Santiago Esquivel became the ninth CABA pitcher to strike out 20+ in a game, getting 20Ks over 12 innings against Puebla on August 28. Emmanuel Lopez became the fourth CABA batter to 3000 hits and the eighth to 1500 RBI.