Both the Charros de Jalisco and the Diablos Rojos del Mexico will use a four-man starting rotation in the 2025 Serie del Rey, which begins Wednesday night at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helu in Mexico City.
Righty Luis Payan will take the mound for game one for Jalisco, which advanced to the Liga Mexicana de Beisbol’s championship series by eliminating the Zona Norte’s regular season champion, the Sultanes de Monterrey, in the Serie Campeonato. Payan has thrown 23 1/3 innings over five starts in the postseason, allowing eight runs on 17 hits with 26 strikeouts and nine walks with a 0.890 WHIP. He’ll face Venezuelan right Ricardo Pinto for the Diablos, who has a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings of work across four starts, with 23 strikeouts and eight walks.
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When Zac Grotz starts game two for Jalisco, it’ll be his seventh start of the playoffs, during which he’s thrown a league-leading 32 innings with a 3.38 ERA, 25 strikeouts, and four walks. He’ll face the Reds’ Justin Courtney, who has gone 11 1/3 innings in three starts during the postseason, allowing seven runs on 15 hits with a 4.76 ERA and a 1.680 WHIP.
When the series goes to Guadalajara for game three Saturday night, Brooks Hall will take the mound at Estadio Panamericano for the Diablos. Hall, a well-traveled 35-year-old righty, has thrown 23 1/3 innings over five playoff starts, allowing 15 runs on 30 hits with 10 walks, eight strikeouts, and a 5.79 ERA. He’ll face Charros veteran righty Luis Ivan Rodriguez, who has a 4.43 ERA in 20 1/3 innings over five starts.
Game four will pit the Diablos’ Efrain Contreras against the Charros’ Eduardo Vera on Sunday night. Contreras, a 25-year-old righty, has thrown 6 1/3 innings in the postseason in one start and one relief appearance with a 2.70 ERA, a 1.200 WHIP, six strikeouts and four walks. Contreras made only one start during the regular season, making the remainder of his 17 appearances for the Reds out of the bullpen. He’ll face Eduardo Vera for the Charros, who’s thrown 11 2/3 innings across two starts with a 5.40 ERA.
Facing The Diablos Doesn’t Make Benji Gil Sweat – With the chance to win his second league championship with the Charros de Jalisco organization in less than a year, Benji Gil’s team will have to go through the best team in the LMB.
