Ciudad de México – The Diablos Rojos del México delivered a stunning performance Saturday, overwhelming the Cocodrilos de Matanzas 36-13 in the final round-robin game of the 2026 Baseball Champions League Américas. The decisive victory, played at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, marked one of the most lopsided results in recent international baseball competition.
The sheer magnitude of the scoreline is unusual for high-level baseball, reflecting a significant disparity between the two teams throughout the tournament, organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) from March 24th to 29th in Mexico City. The Diablos Rojos advance to the final, while Matanzas finished the round-robin with a 1-3 record.
Matanzas entered the contest already eliminated from championship contention, having secured only one win in the tournament – a 9-8 victory over the CTBC Brothers of Chinese Taipei on March 25th. This loss capped off a disappointing campaign for the Cuban squad, who had arrived in Mexico as a dominant force in their domestic league.
The Cocodrilos, who had recently clinched the 64th Serie Nacional on February 14th with a 12-2 postseason record and a +58 run differential, including an 11-0 shutout of Las Tunas in the championship series at Estadio Latinoamericano in Havana, simply couldn’t find their footing against the Diablos Rojos. The team, managed by Armando Ferrer, boasted key players like pitcher Yoennis Yera (6-6 record, 2.75 ERA in the Serie Nacional), first baseman Ariel Martínez, center fielder and captain Eduardo Blanco – the domestic postseason MVP – slugger José Amaury Noroña, catcher Andrys Pérez, and outfielder Yassiel González, the regular season MVP.
This Champions League appearance carried added weight for Matanzas and Cuban baseball. Cuba was excluded from the 2026 Caribbean Series held in Guadalajara in February, making the Champions League Américas the sole international showcase for Cuban baseball this season. The team aimed to at least match the runner-up finish achieved by Las Tunas in the previous edition of the tournament, where they fell to – ironically – the Diablos Rojos, managed by Charles Lorenzo Bundy.
The Cuban Federation of Baseball had previously characterized their exclusion from the Caribbean Series as disrespectful, adding further pressure on the Cocodrilos to demonstrate the quality of Cuban baseball on the international stage. Saturday’s result, however, did little to alleviate those concerns.
The Diablos Rojos’ offensive explosion was the defining feature of the game. Ramón Flores hit two home runs, driving in six runs, while Maikel Franco also went deep as part of a seven-RBI performance. The team combined for 29 hits and 19 walks, surpassing the previous record for runs scored by a single team in a Baseball Champions League game. The combined total of 49 runs scored by both teams also set a fresh tournament record, exceeding the 38 runs scored in a previous contest.
The Cocodrilos struggled to contain the Diablos Rojos’ relentless attack. Their previous tournament results – a 16-6 loss to Dantos de Managua on March 26th, a 9-0 shutout at the hands of Kane County Cougars on March 27th (a game highlighted by a stellar start from Cougars pitcher Brandon Komar), and an 11-2 loss to the Diablos Rojos earlier on Saturday – foreshadowed the lopsided outcome.
The defeat further compounded a challenging tournament for Matanzas, a team that had entered as the most dominant force in recent Cuban baseball. The stark contrast between their domestic success and their performance in the Champions League raises questions about the challenges Cuban teams face when competing against international competition.
The Diablos Rojos’ victory secures their place in the Baseball Champions League Américas final. Their opponent and the date of the championship game have yet to be announced, but the team will undoubtedly carry significant momentum into the final round. Fans in Mexico City will be eager to see if the Diablos Rojos can continue their dominant form and claim the championship title.
The tournament, designed to showcase the best baseball talent from across the Americas, has provided a platform for exciting competition and highlighted the growing international appeal of the sport. For the Cocodrilos de Matanzas, however, the 2026 Baseball Champions League Américas will be remembered as a tournament of missed opportunities and a humbling reminder of the challenges that lie ahead.
What’s Next: The Diablos Rojos await their opponent for the Baseball Champions League Américas final. Details regarding the date, time, and location will be announced by the WBSC in the coming days. Stay tuned to Archysport for further updates.
