The Rieleros de Aguascalientes (English: Aguascalientes Railroaders) are a

professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for a specific team or club system. It is played in baseball league, leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Moder ...

team based in

Aguascalientes Aguascalientes, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Aguascalientes, is one of the 32 states which comprise the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. At 22°N and with an average altitude of above sea level it is pre ...

that competes in the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. Established in 1975, the Rieleros have won the Mexican League championship once in 1978. The team plays at the

Parque Alberto Romo Chávez Parque is the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish word for "park", and may refer to: * Parque (TransMilenio), a metro station in Bogotá, Colombia * Parque (Lisbon Metro), in Portugal * Parque (Santurce), a subbarrio in San Juan, Puerto Rico * Battle ...

History

Baseball arrived in

in hand with the

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

at the beginning of the 20th century. A group of Mexican and American railroad workers on the

Mexican Central Railway The Mexican Central Railway (''Ferrocarril Central Mexicano'') was one of the primary pre-nationalization Rail transport in Mexico, railways of Mexico. Incorporated in Massachusetts in 1880, it opened the main line in March 1884, linking Mexico C ...

held a baseball game in March 1902. The teams, the Aguascalientes Mexicans and American Railways, played the first game in the state on the railroad's land. The Rieleros were founded in 1975 by Raúl Medina Reyes in partnership with Don Pedro Barbosa, José Ortiz Benavides and other local entrepreneurs, who bought the

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

franchise and moved it to Aguascalientes. Funds were raised through the issue of shares. A survey was then conducted to select a team name. The name Rieleros was chosen to honor the area's railroad heritage. The team debuted in the Mexican League on 14 March 1975 losing 1–5 against the

Charros de Jalisco The Charros de Jalisco () are a professional baseball team who compete in both the Mexican League (LMB) and the Mexican Pacific League (LMP), based in Zapopan, Jalisco, in the Guadalajara metropolitan area. Their home ballpark is Estadio Pana ...

in the

. In

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, the Rieleros won the Mexican League championship, managed by Jaime Favela in his first season as manager. With players such as Horacio Piña, Cecilio Acosta, Ángel Moreno,

Willie Crawford Willie Murphy Crawford (September 7, 1946 – August 27, 2004) was an American professional baseball outfielder. He played in the major leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers (1964–1975), St. Louis Cardinals (1976), Houston Astros (1977) and Oak ...

, Clarence Jones and

Chico Rodríguez Francisco "Chico" Rodríguez Ituarte (born 4 October 1943) is a Mexican former professional baseball shortstop. He played during 20 seasons in the Mexican League and the Mexican Pacific League. Early life Rodríguez was born in Cananea, Sonora o ...

, the Rieleros finished as leaders of the Southwest division with a 89–62 record. In the quarterfinals, the Rieleros defeated the

Diablos Rojos del México The Diablos Rojos del Mexico (English: Mexico Red Devils) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Mexico City, Mexico. The team was founded in 1940 by Salvador Lutteroth and Ernesto Carmona. The Diablos Rojos play their ho ...

4–2, including a perfect game by Piña. In the semifinals, Aguascalientes defeated the Cafeteros de Córdoba in six games, 4–2. In the championship game, the Rieleros defeated the

Algodoneros de Unión Laguna The Algodoneros de Unión Laguna (English: Laguna Union Cottoneers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League (LMB). Based in Torreón, Coahuila, they play in the North Division of LMB. History Early years The team was established ...

4–1 to claim their first (and as of 2024, only) Mexican League championship. In December 1999, the Rieleros franchise was bought by a group of businessmen from

Puebla Puebla, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Puebla, is one of the 31 states that, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its capital is Puebla City. Part of east-centr ...

and renamed to

Pericos de Puebla The Pericos de Puebla (English: Puebla Parrots) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League based in Puebla. Their home ballpark is the Estadio de Béisbol Hermanos Serdán. Established in 1938, the Pericos have won five Mexican League ...

, who started to play in the 2000 season. In December 2003, ahead of the 2004 Mexican League season, the Cafeteros de Córdoba franchise was moved from

Córdoba, Veracruz Córdoba, known officially as Heroica Córdoba, is a city and the seat of the municipality of the same name in the Mexican state of Veracruz. It was founded in 1618. The city is composed of 15 barrios (neighborhoods) bounded to the north by Ixhu ...

to Aguascalientes, bringing baseball back after a hiatus of four years. In 2008, the Rieleros de Aguascalientes were transferred to

Nuevo Laredo Nuevo Laredo () is a city in the Municipality of Nuevo Laredo in the Mexican List of states of Mexico, state of Tamaulipas. The city lies on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from Laredo, Texas, Laredo, United States. The 2010 census popula ...

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

, and were renamed the

Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo The Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos (English: Two Laredos Owls), formerly known as the Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo (English: Nuevo Laredo Owls), are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League. The Tecolotes are a binational baseball team, spli ...

. They returned to Aguascalientes in 2012 after the Dorados de Chihuahua franchise was relocated.

Roster

Championships

Award winners and league leaders

Awards

Most Valuable Player

* Jesse Castillo (

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

)

Manager of the Year

* Enrique Reyes (

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

) * Homar Rojas (

)

League leaders

Batting champions

* Larry Fritz (

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

) *

Vic Davalillo Víctor José Davalillo Romero (31 July 1939 – 6 December 2023) was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Mexican League as an outfielder from 1963 to 1982. Davalillo (pronounced da-va-LE ...

(

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

)

Home runs

* Eddie Ríos (

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

) * Carlos M. Rodríguez (

) * Félix Pérez (

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

)

Runs

* Jim Obradovich (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

) *

Enrique Aguilar Enrique Aguilar Zermeño (born 1 November 1969) is a Mexican wrestler. He competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the ...

(

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

)

Runs batted in

(

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

) * Eddie Ríos (

) * Diory Hernández (

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

)

Hits

* Gonzalo Villalobos (

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) *

(

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

) * Rontrez Johnson (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

)

Stolen bases

* Rontrez Johnson (

)

E.R.A.

* Horacio Piña (

)

Wins

* Humberto Montemayor (

)

References

External links

* {{Mexican League Baseball teams established in 1975 Mexican League teams 1975 establishments in Mexico Aguascalientes City Sports clubs and teams in Aguascalientes