2023 LLIWS Preview: Mario Mendoza, Navojoa, Mexico

For the second consecutive year, I am thrilled to be calling Little League's Intermediate 50/70 Baseball World Series July 30-August 6! This is not the 12-year-olds you see on TV in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, every year, but kids one year older, playing on a slightly bigger field (50-foot pitching distance, 70-foot basepaths) in Livermore, California. It's a different vibe than Williamsport, but extremely cool nonetheless, and it was really special for me to call the 2022 tournament, including the championship game on ESPN2.

So leading up to the 2023 Intermediate 50/70 World Series, which will air entirely on ESPN+, I want to introduce each of the competing teams with whatever information I've been able to glean on their path to Livermore (and to your ESPN+ screen!).

Mario Mendoza, Navojoa, Mexico

League:
Liga Mario Mendoza
Location:
Navojoa, Sonora, México
Championships:
Mexico District 13
Mexico Region 4
Mexico
Record: 11-1
Date Qualified: June 24
Noteworthy:
1st appearance by team from Sonora; 3 players have ancestors who played Major League Baseball
Coaches:
Ulises Sustaita, Mario Mendoza Jr., Carlos Esquer

For the 50/70 World Series, Little League has a rotation policy for its direct bids. Mexico and Puerto Rico alternate years earning a direct bid to the World Series, with their champions competing in the Latin America Region in other years.

This year, the direct bid is Mexico's, and it was won by a group that almost reached Williamsport last year as 12-year-olds, then stayed together for another All-Star opportunity in 2023. Only two years old, Liga Mario Mendoza is named after that Mario Mendoza, he of the 9-year MLB career, defensive wizardry, and “Mendoza Line” infamy. His nickname, "Manos de Seda," literally "Hands of Silk" in English, is even part of the official league name in many listings.

Mendoza lives in Navojoa and is involved in the league; his son, Mario Mendoza Jr., is one of the assistant coaches, and his grandson, Mario Mario Mendoza, is one of the team's standout players. All three Mendozas will be in Livermore, Mario Sr. serving as the team's translator. Two other players have ancestors with Major League Baseball pedigree in Luis Cruz Jr. (dad Luis Sr. is still active in the Mexican League) and Carlos Medina (great uncle Francisco 'Paquín' Estrada played 1 game for the Mets, went 1-for-2, and is a legend in Mexico).

Researching the Mexican qualification was a blast. The leagues publicize national championships, complete with adorable team pictures in full uniform, for 4-year-olds!! At the Intermediate age range, nationals are a week-long, 13-team affair consisting of two groups, followed by single-elimination semifinals and final.

The team from Navojoa stole the show in the group stage when they beat host Liga Beto Ávila 1-0 in a 15-strikeout no-hitter! Daniel Reyes struck out 14 in 6 innings, while Zaid Valenzuela closed it out. They followed that up with a 10-2 demolition of Matamoros, which had reached Williamsport in 2022.

In that 12-year-old qualification one year ago, Mario Mendoza went 6-0 in group play, only to fall to regional rival Municipal de Tijuana in the single-elimination semifinals (Navojoa got revenge in this year's regionals). There was no such slip-up as 13-year-olds, as Mario Mendoza's run culminated with an overpowering Saturday on which they tossed consecutive 8-0 shutouts to become the first Sonoran team to reach a Little League World Series.

Road to Livermore
Mexico Región 4
May 11	Mexicali IMSS (group)	W	8-5
May 12	Obregón Municipal (group)	W	10-3
May 12	at Municipal de Tijuana (group)	W	2-1
May 13	Obregón Municipal (semifinal)	W	4-1
May 14	Mexicali IMSS (final)	W	7-3
Mexico
June 18	Kora (group)	W	8-4
June 19	Beto Ávila (group)	W	1-0
June 20	Matamoros (group)	W	10-2
June 21	Guadalupe Linda Vista (group)	L	1-3
June 22	Jose Ines Castañeda (group)	W	8-0
June 24	Gallos de San Nicolás (semifinal)	W	8-0
June 24	Maya (final)	W	8-0
Intermediate Baseball World Series
July 30	Guaynabo, Puerto Rico		9 am PT
TBD	TBD		TBD