Ullamaliztli Namiqui: May 1944 Report
San Luis have taken control of the lead, losing only 6 games this month! A deadly lineup powered by C Victor Albornoz (.347/.444/.528, 36 RBI) and LF Oscar Valladolid (.371/.444/.478, 32 RBI) have taken over the league by storm, and the club is averaging a bit over 5 runs per game. Their pitching has been up to par as well, with the highlight being the resurgence of two-time Atlat Roberto Mestre (5-0, 1.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) who is leading the league in ERA for the first time since 1939. The San Luis captain is on his way to a 4th ring and 3rd Atlatl Award at age 32. Many questioned the decision to let Salvadoran 3B Carlos Renderos walk prior to the 1943 season, following the best season of his career (.312/.387/.426, 53 RBI). The club then traded for Ramiro Randón from Aguascalientes, and his performance only raised more questions about the future of the hot corner in San Luis (.225/.324/.297, 21 RBI). This year, the Tunas announced their starter would be Jesús Herrera, a 19 year old from Saltillo who had hit .402/.503/.738 in the Youth Championship with Coahuila in 2 years. A lot of questions were asked about his readiness for the pro level, but the youngster has proved he's more than ready, becoming one of the hottest hitters in the Tunas lineup and a clear candidate for the Moyaomamachtoani Award. So far this year, Herrera has hit .324/.399/.430 with 28 RBI and alright defense at third (1 ZR). It is this consistency amongst all players that make the San Luis lineup the best in the league, with the only players hitting below .280 are the best defenders on the team (SS Harold Montgomery and CF Manuel Escobedo).
The Jaguars won't lose hope however, as they have a powerful offense of their own, scoring the same amount of runs as San Luis. 2B Gabriel Barrón is having a fantastic 2nd season in the capital, hitting .399/.500/.464 with 24 RBI so far. C Miguel de León (.333/.396/.545, 42 RBI) and RF Manuel Vargas (.321/.467/.429, 20 RBI) back him up, making it clear the capital team can compete with whoever. Their pitching has also been amongst the league best, second-year pitcher Carlos Macías (6-1, 2.02 ERA, 1.11 WHIP) has emerged as one of the league's best, throwing behind 24 year old Javier García (4-2, 2.14 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), Diego Hernández (4-4, 3.21 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) and lefty Carlos Casillas (4-4, 3.28 ERA, 1.43 WHIP). The Jaguars won't lose hope, and their team is probably championship caliber but San Luis might just be too good to catch up to.
Santos gets #100!
Tunas de San Luis pitcher Jacinto Santos has pitched in 206 games in his 9 year career, but the game he threw on Saturday May 6th might be one of the most memorable. At home in the Estadio de la Plata, the veteran righty threw 7 innings, allowing 4 runs on 11 hits and walk while striking out 7 Obsidian players. Not his best performance, but a three run inning from the Tunas in the bottom of the 7th meant Santos would be getting his 100th win! The Hidalgo, Michoacán native is the first to reach the century in the league. He then got his 101st and 102nd wins against León and Puebla.
In his career, Santos has played for Guadalajara, Jaguares and Tampico before signing with San Luis prior to the 1942 season. His 61.4% winning record is 4th best in league history. He also led the league in wins in 1936 with 19 and in 1940 with 17, the same year he won his only title to date with Jaguares. In his career, Santos has a 102-64 record, with a 2.69 ERA and 1.20 WHIP after 1,592 innings of play. Jacinto won the 1937 Atlatl Award with a 12-3 record, 1.97 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 21 games as well as the 1938 Temanahui Award in the pitcher position. In his second to last year in San Luis, he shows little signs of slowing down, pitching to a 6-2 record, 2.87 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through 62 and 2 thirds innings this year (8 starts). Santos has been one of the most consistent pitchers in the league's 9 year history and he's a clear favorite to be inducted into the league's first Hall of Fame classes once he retires.
Hitter of the Month
2B Gabriel Barrón - Jaguares de México
Barrón hit .395/.509/.488 after playing all 23 games this month, together with 8 doubles and 18 runs driven in. The second baseman has gotten on base in the last 15 games.
Pitcher of the Month
RHP Roberto Mestre - Tunas de San Luis
Mestre won 3 of his 5 starts this month, managing a 1.02 ERA and 0.85 WHIP with 14 strikeouts and 7 walks. The veteran righty continues his resurgence, lowering his ERA from 1.96 to 1.53 ERA after a great month. Roberto has a 13 game undefeated streak.
Let's check in on the award races:
Tlatoani Award
CF Alberto Campana - Puebla - .299/.330/.529, 11 2B, 4 3B, 8 HR, 44 RBI
LF Oscar Valladolid - San Luis - .371/.444/.478, 9 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 32 RBI
C Miguel de León - Jaguares - .333/.396/.545, 11 2B, 8 HR, 42 RBI
LHP Esteban Ramírez - León - 6-2, 2.28 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 48 K, 18 BB
RF Manuel Vargas - Jaguares - .321/.467/.429, 11 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 20 RBI
Atlatl Award
LHP Esteban Ramírez - León
RHP Roberto Mestre - San Luis - 5-0, 1.53 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 32 K, 16 BB
RHP Israel Álvarez - Monterrey - 4-4, 2.54 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 35 K, 20 BB
LHP Leo López - Guadalajara - 3-5, 3.04 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 29 K, 21 BB
RHP Primitivo Espinosa - León - 4-3, 2.93 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 27 K, 20 BB
Moyaomamachtiani Award
3B Jesús Herrera - San Luis - .324/.399/.430, 4 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 28 RBI
C David Cruz - Guadalajara - .312/.349/.362, 4 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI
RF Carlos Flores - Águilas - .278/.319/.376, 9 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 18 RBI
2 months (and 9 games) to go! Thanks for reading!