Monclova, Coah. — The Yucatan Leones came thiiiiis close to winning a second consecutive national title, but it wasn’t to be.
Snuffing the Leone’s early lead, Monclova’s Erick Aybar hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning, leading the Acereros del Norte to a 9-5 win on Wednesday.
The home run tied the game 5-5.
The Acereros took the lead for good in the sixth when Aybar hit an RBI double, scoring Alex Mejia.
Zach Phillips (5-4) got the win in relief while Andres Avila (3-2) took the loss.
As predicted, the final duel between the champions of the northern and southern zone was a thrilling clash of somersaults, great battles, and intense emotions, according to the Leones’ own summary. But in the end it was the north that won, the first-ever Serie del Rey victory for the Acereros.
CLUB |
| 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | 8 | 9 |
| R | H | E |
YUC |
| 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 7 | 0 |
MVA |
| 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2 | 1 | X |
| 9 | 14 | 1 |
Win: Phillips (2-0)
Loss: Ávila (0-1)
SV: Bustamante (2)
HR: Liddi (2), Valle (2) for YUC; Perio (3), Aybar (1) for MVA
Sources: Leones, Associated Press