{"id":398645,"date":"2026-07-15T00:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/398645\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T00:34:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T00:34:11","slug":"tijuana-earns-spot-in-little-league-world-series-hoping-third-times-a-charm-san-diego-union-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/398645\/","title":{"rendered":"Tijuana earns spot in Little League World Series, hoping third time\u2019s a charm \u2013 San Diego Union-Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

The mariachi band broke into song as soon as the Tijuana Municipal Little League team stepped back onto its home field Monday afternoon. Cheers and applause erupted for the team, which over the weekend earned the coveted spot to represent Mexico<\/a> in the Little League Baseball World Series.<\/p>\n

The team of 11- and 12-year-olds won the Mexico region tournament title on Saturday by defeating<\/a> the Matamoros Little League team 8-2 in Tamaulipas. They ended the tournament with a 7-1 record.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are very proud of what you have done and what you are about to embark on, because this is just the beginning,\u201d said Dar\u00edo Venegas, president of the Tijuana Municipal Children\u2019s and Youth Baseball League, before handing out rings to commemorate the team\u2019s regional crown.<\/p>\n

This marks the third time<\/a> that the Tijuana Municipal team has advanced to the tournament in Williamsport, Pa., following appearances in 2013 and 2023. Francisco Fimbres has been the manager for all three trips, and he hopes that the third time could be the charm.<\/p>\n

\"NestorNestor Melchor, left, along with each member of the Tijuana Municipal Little League team, was given a moment to speak of his favorite moments and given a championship ring by Dari\u00ado Venegas, president of the Tijuana Municipal Children’s and Youth Baseball League on Monday. (Carlos Moreno \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel blessed with these players,\u201d he said. \u201c(They) make me believe that we can get that championship.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the proud coach acknowledged that there\u2019s still work to be done and that he has learned from the last two tournaments. In 2013, Mexico lost to Japan<\/a> in the international championship and finished third. In 2023, they fell to Cura\u00e7ao<\/a> in the international semifinals.<\/p>\n

During his speech at the Jorge Campillo baseball field in Tijuana on Monday, Fimbres urged players and parents to enjoy the moment, as he said it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.<\/p>\n

He described this year\u2019s group of players as \u201cuna generaci\u00f3n campeona,\u201d or a \u201cwinning generation,\u201d whom he has followed since they were 8 years old. \u201cThese kids have too much baseball in them,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re growing up and learning a lot, which will be great for their development.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ChampionshipChampionship rings for the Tijuana Municipal Little League team. (Carlos Moreno \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

In 2023, an interaction between Fimbres and one of his players went viral<\/a>. During the second inning, with the bases loaded, he noticed that his pitcher was nervous. He went to the mound to encourage him and remind him to have fun and not be afraid of making mistakes. \u201cWhat if he hits a home run? Exactly, nothing happens,\u201d he told him. \u201cYou\u2019re a good pitcher. You\u2019re better.\u201d For many, this moment captured the spirit of the Little League competition.<\/p>\n

This time will be special for Fimbres. He shared that this might be his last stint with the Tijuana Municipal team.<\/p>\n

Pitcher and outfielder Jean Paul Lavenant said that he felt happy for \u201cPancho,\u201d as he fondly calls his coach, and hoped to get the title for him.<\/p>\n

Lavenant named Major League players Jonathan Aranda of the Tampa Bay Rays and Alejandro Kirk of the Toronto Blue Jays as his inspirations. Both players came from the Tijuana Municipal league.<\/p>\n

The players said they have their minds set on bringing home the championship. \u201cNothing is impossible,\u201d said pitcher and infielder Emiliano Kerber.<\/p>\n

Coach Marcelo Santamar\u00eda, who was part of the 2023 coaching team, said he hopes this opportunity leaves a lasting impression on the players. \u201cIt\u2019s every young baseball player\u2019s dream to participate in this tournament,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

\"NestorFrom left, Nestor Melchor, Tadeo Paez, Matias Garcia and Gael Santamaria of the Tijuana Municipal Little League team, share a laugh during a moment of recognition Monday. (Carlos Moreno \/ For The San Diego Union-Tribune)<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what they emphasized to the players throughout their journey to earn a spot in Williamsport. Tijuana Municipal will kick off its Little League World Series run on Aug. 20 against the Australian region.<\/p>\n

\u201cWould you rather experience it on TV or in person?\u201d pitcher and outfielder Esteban Bautista recalled his coaches asking them before the Mexico region championship game.<\/p>\n

In person, it will be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The mariachi band broke into song as soon as the Tijuana Municipal Little League team stepped back onto…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398646,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[1697,8350,181,23,100,74,76,75,127,1696],"class_list":["post-398645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-diego","tag-baja-california","tag-border-baja-california","tag-latest-headlines","tag-local-news","tag-news","tag-san-diego","tag-san-diego-headlines","tag-san-diego-news","tag-sports","tag-top-stories-sdut"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398645","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398645"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398645\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398645"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}