Tijuana Toros: Border City Bulls Have LMB Batting Champ, Along With Wins Leader
Credit: Diego Perez
Tijuana, Mexico
The Tijuana Toros had a solid 2018 LMB spring tournament as the border city side finished in second place in the Zona Norte division, just behind Sultanes de Monterrey.
Manager Pedro Mere had solid pitching with the efforts of Kyle Lobstein and Carlos Hernandez and an excellent offense led by players like Isaac Rodriguez, Dustin Martin and Jorge Cantu.
Isaac Rodriguez was the clear standout of the season for the Toros as he came away with the LMB batting title. The Mexican infielder posted the highest batting average in the LMB at .394 and also led the league in total hits with 89.
Rodriguez outdid players like Brian Hernandez, Jesse Castillo, Felix Pie, Yuniesky Betancourt and several others. The 27-year-old also posted his best batting average ever in the LMB, his previous highest mark at .307 in 2016.
Rodriguez’s .394 mark this season was also the highest in the LMB since Sandy Madera hit .403 for Puebla in 2014.
The Sonora native was not the only stats leader on Tijuana as Carlos Hernandez led the LMB in wins with eight during the regular season as well.
The left-handed pitcher held an 8-2 record with a 2.64 ERA this year and stayed consistent from his performances in 2017. Last year, Hernandez posted a 2.67 ERA with a 10-2 record and had a very similar season to his 2018 campaign.
The California native will be a key piece to the Toros’ rotation in the playoffs and is set to pitch in the first game of the playoffs against Aguascalientes this Wednesday.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.