October 31, 2021

By Bob Elliott

Canadian Baseball Network

The outlook was wasn’t brilliant for the Toros de Tijuana nine that day:

The series stood 3-0, with the Leones de Yucatan needing but one win.

Yucatan won Game 1 of the best-of-seven series 7-3 and then Game 2, 7-1 at home. The series moved to Tijuana and Yucatan scored a 2-0 win and was about to order the champagne.

Then, Tijuana won 6-2 and 4-2 at home forcing a Game 6 at the home of the Leones. And a 10-3 Toros win forced a winner-take all Game 7. Teddy Stankiewicz, Jake Sanchez, Michael Tonkin and Fernando Rodney combined on a three-hit, 3-0 Game 7 victory over the Yucatan Leones before 17,687 at Estadio Chevron.

At least one Toronto resident tasted fine champagne in a winners celebration. Arturo Marcano is the Toros sport director. Marcano moved to Toronto more than 20 years ago, became a Canadian citizen 15 years ago and his two daughters were born in Toronto. Daughter Isabella, 19, attends the University of Toronto and Lucia, 10, a Toronto Blue Jays fan, currently attends Church Street Public School.

Rodney (Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Oakland A’s, Washington Nationals) and Tonkin (Twins) are former major leaguers.

The Toros had former Blue Jays in Junior Lake (Baltimore Orioles and Cubs) and Jimmy Paredes (Astros, Orioles, Royals, Phillies). Paredes was cut before the playoffs.

The other former major leaguers such as Oliver Perez (Padres, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Mets, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Houston Astros, Nationals, Cleveland), Luis Alfonso Cruz (Pirates, Milwaukee Brewers, Dodgers, New York Yankees), Efrén Navarro (Angels, Cubs, Tigers), Danny Castro (Atlanta Braves, Colorado Rockies), Pete O’Brien (Diamondbacks, Marlins), Oscar Hernandez (Diamondbacks), Carlos Torres (White Sox, Rockies, Mets, Brewers, Nationals, Tigers), Vidal Nuño (Diamondbacks, Mariners, Yankees, Rays). Nuno signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers.

Former Blue Jay, Cleveland player and Chicago White Sox Omar Vizquel started the season managing but departed for personal reasons. Homer Rojas took over and guided the club to a 40-25 second-place finish, finishing seven games behind the Mariachis de Guadalajara.

Tijuana upset Guadalajara in six games to advance to the final.

The coaching staff included former major leaguers Carlos Hernandez (bench coach, Royals), Ronnie Paulino (hitting coach, Pirates, Marlins, Mets, Baltimore Orioles) and Bronswell Patrick (pitching coach, Brewers, Giants). Former Met Howard Johnson was scheduled to be hitting coach but stepped down due to COVID-19.

As sports director, Marcano said he is in charge of coordinating all the areas of the club, in this his fourth year with the Toros.

Marcano, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, wrote Stealing Lives: The Globalization of Baseball and the Tragic Story of Alexis Quiroz along with David P. Fidler. Marcano served as the international legal advisor to the Venezuelan Players Association. He earned his law degree from Universidad Católica Andrés Bello in Caracas, received an LL.M. degree from Indiana University School of Law and a Master of Science (M.S.) in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

He also was the best speaker at Cayleigh Parrish’s The Play Ball! speaker’s bureau staged at the The Sport Gallery in the historic Distillery District.

On the season, Toros OF Leandro Castro led in doubles (20) and OPS (1.079 as well as being second in homers (14). On the mound, Joe Van Meter led with 59 1/3 innings going 5-2 with a 3.49 ERA, as Hernandez was next busiest with a 3-4 mark with a 4.62 ERA in 50 2/3 innings.

Closer Rodney went 3-0 with 16 saves in 44 appearances. He had a 1.80 ERA walking eight and striking out 40 in 30 innings.