Robinson Cano leads Diablos Rojos to Baseball Champions League Americas triumph

The Mexico City Diablos Rojos beat the Las Tunas Leñadores, 6-1, in the final to win the Baseball Champions League Americas 2025 on home turf at the Alfredo Harp Helù Stadium in Mexico City. The defending Mexican Baseball League (LMB) champions completed an undefeated run.

How it happened

Designated hitter Robinson Cano set the tone in the bottom of the first, when he got to starter Andy Vargas' fifth pitch of the game and drove it into the right field bleacher for a solo homer. The former Major League Baseball (MLB) superstar and World Baseball Classic 2013 winner would add three more hits, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, earning MVP honours.

Third baseman Josè Rondon added a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the second, providing the Diablos Rojos all the runs they needed.

Mexico City's starter Jose Bravo pitched four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five. Conner Menez pitched the fifth and the sixth and picked up the win. He allowed Las Tunas their only run on a two-out infield single by Yoelkis Guibert in the top of the fifth.

Mexico City extended the lead in the bottom half of the frame when first baseman José Marmolejos sent Vargas to the showers with an RBI single and right fielder Aristides Aquino welcomed reliever Yankiel Mauris with another RBI single.

Tomohiro Anraku allowed the 63rd Cuba's Serie Nacional winners their last runner of the day when he walked Roel Santos with one out and a runner on in the top of the seventh. Luis Mateo stepped to the plate representing the potential tying run, but Anraku retired him on strikes and got out of the jam, getting Guibert to ground out to second for the third out.

Marmolejos drove in the Diablos Rojos' fifth run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh and Mexico City added an insurance run in the eighth on an RBI single by leadoff hitter Luis Liberato.

Trevor Clifton and Stephen Nogosek pitched two perfect innings to complete the game.