Azules de Veracruz

Azules de Veracruz
Information
LeagueMexican League (1940–1951)
LocationVeracruz, Mexico
Mexico City
BallparkParque Deportivo Veracruzano (1940)
Parque Delta (1941–1951)
Established1940
Folded1951
League championships4 (1940, 1941, 1944, 1951)
ColorsBlue and white
   
Uniforms
Home

The Azules de Veracruz (English: Veracruz Blues) were a professional baseball team that played in the Mexican League from 1940 to 1951. Originally from Veracruz, Mexico, the team relocated to Mexico City shortly after its foundation, while keeping the Veracruz name. Under the ownership of Jorge Pasquel (who also briefly served as league president during this time), Azules won league championships in 1940, 1941, 1944 and 1951.

History

1940s

The Azules de Veracruz were established in 1940 by Jorge Pasquel, a prominent businessman and baseball fan born in Veracruz. Pasquel named his team Azules and chose blue as the club's color, to compete with the other team from Veracruz: El Águila de Veracruz. Pasquel also hired Martín Dihigo as the team's first player-manager, who had previously played for El Águila in 1939.[1][2]

El Águila and Cafeteros de Córdoba did not approve Pasquel's actions to have another team in Veracruz and split from the Mexican League, forming another competition known as Liga Cismática (Schismatic League), where they were joined by Alijadores de Tampico, Agrario de México, Tigres de Comintra and Puebla. However, Pasquel bought the Parque Deportivo Veracruzano for his Azules to play, leaving El Águila without a baseball park.[1][3] The Azules, however, only played a few games in Veracruz and later moved to the Parque Delta in Mexico City, that was also bought by Pasquel, where the team would play until its disappearance ten years later.[4]

The Azules won their first championship in 1940 by finishing the season first with a record of 61 wins and 30 losses. The team repeated as Mexican champions in 1941 with Lázaro Salazar as manager in what was considered one of the best teams in Mexican baseball history. In 1942, the team finished last. In 1944, the Azules won their third championship under manager Ramón Bragaña.[1][5]

Year-by-year record

Year Record Finish Manager Playoffs Notes
1940 61-30 1st Martín Dihigo League Champions
1941 67-35 1st Lázaro Salazar League Champions
1942 39-46 6th Agustin Bejerano none
1943 39-51 5th Gustavo Buenrostro / Horacio Hernández none
1944 52-37 1st Rogers Hornsby / Ramón Bragaña League Champions
1945 42-48 5th Ramón Bragaña none
1946 41-57 7th Ramón Bragaña / Mickey Owen / Chile Gómez / Jorge Pasquel none
1947 52-67 6th Chile Gómez / Red Steiner none
1948 43-43 5th Dolf Luque none
1949 42-42 4th Salvador Hernández none
1950 34-50 7th Ramón Bragaña none
1951 49-35 1st Ángel Castro League Champions

Notable players

Sources Baseball Reference

References

  1. ^ a b c Kerlegand, Enrique (25 March 2019). "Jorge Pasquel y sus Azules de Veracruz". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  2. ^ Kerlegand, Enrique (23 May 2019). "Un grande, Martín Dihigo". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  3. ^ González Gómez, César (30 January 2017). "El cisma que provocó Jorge Pasquel y su semejanza con la crisis actual en la Liga Mexicana de Beisbol". Vice (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.
  4. ^ Barrios Fernández, Héctor. "Delta y Seguro Social II". Beisbol de los Barrios (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  5. ^ Morales, Tomás (16 January 2015). "Lázaro Salazar, siete campeonatos en LMB". MiLB.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 March 2024.