For the second time in three years, Mexico’s U-8 baseball team won the Cal Ripken World Series with a convincing 10-2 win over the United States in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, on Sunday.
The star of the final game was pitcher Milán “Búfalo” Zazueta who struck out 10 batters in four innings of work. Reliever Carlos López closed out the victory, completing the last two innings and retiring the final batter via an easy ground ball back to the mound, sending players and coaches storming the field in jubilation.
Several players keyed Mexico’s offensive explosion, with outfielder Humberto Huizar knocking in three runs. Catcher Abraham Enríquez had two hits and two RBIs, while second baseman Roberto Cruz and third baseman Carlos Verdugo each contributed three hits.
Mexico scored twice in the first inning and put up runs in four of the five innings they came to the plate. The U.S. team narrowed the lead to 2-1 in the top of the second, but Mexico outscored their rivals 8-1 thereafter.
The U-8 Player Pitch division is for 7- and 8-year-olds (players who turn 9 during the season remain eligible) and, unlike the U-8 Rookie division in which a pitching machine is utilized, features pitchers throwing from a small mound.
Eight of the 12 kids on Mexico’s roster hail from the state of Sinaloa — seven from the state capital of Culiacán and one from Mazatlán — while the other four ballplayers are from the state of Baja California — two each from Ensenada and Tijuana.
Mexico’s Cal Ripken Baseball national office celebrated the championship with a Facebook post recognizing the achievement:
“We extend our sincere congratulations to our champions and a profound thank you to the parents, managers, coaches, delegates and everyone who made this team project possible. This triumph reflects discipline, commitment and unity.”
A team from the same region of Mexico led by two youngsters from Mazatlán — Elías Córdova and Santiago Fuentevilla — won the same U-8 title in 2023.
Designed for players aged 4-12, Cal Ripken Baseball — named for the legendary Baltimore Orioles stars Cal Ripken, Jr. — is a division of the Babe Ruth League, an international youth baseball and softball league based in the U.S.
Unlike Little League Baseball, which hosts a World Series for teams from around the world, the Cal Ripken Baseball World Series only features teams from the U.S. and Mexico.
Mexico’s Little League team — from Chihuahua city — advanced to the quarterfinals of the loser’s bracket before being eliminated by Japan on Aug. 19.
With reports from El Imparcial, Milenio and Noroeste
