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Algodoneros de Unión Laguna

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Algodoneros de Unión Laguna
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueMexican League(North Division)
LocationTorreón, Coahuila
BallparkEstadio Revolución
Founded1940
Nickname(s)Máquina Guinda(Maroon Machine)[1]
League championships2(1942, 1950)
Division championships5(1974, 1976, 1978, 1990, 2023)
Former name(s)
  • Unión Laguna de Torreón
  • Vaqueros Laguna
  • Vaqueros Unión Laguna
Former ballparks
ColorsMaroon, white, gold
MascotPollo Algodonero(Cottoneer Chicken)
OwnershipGuillermo Murra Marroquín
ManagerJosé Molina
General ManagerFrancisco Méndez
Websitewww.unionlaguna.mx
Uniforms
Home
Away

TheAlgodoneros de Unión Laguna(English: Laguna Union Cottoneers) are aprofessional baseballteam in theMexican League(LMB). Based inTorreón, Coahuila,they play in the North Division of LMB.

History

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Early years

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The team was established on 31 March 1940 under the name Algodoneros de Unión Laguna, named for the Compañía Jabonera La Unión (La Unión Soap Company), the team's first sponsor.[2][3]The team won its first pennant in 1942 undermanagerMartín Dihigo.The franchise moved toNuevo Laredoin 1944, but an expansion club restored baseball to the region between 1946 and 1953. In the 1950 season, Laguna won their second and latest title to date, with Guillermo Garibay as manager, defeatingCharros de Jalisco4 games to 2 in the Final Series.[4]

1970–1981

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With the creation of the Zona Norte in 1970, the Comarca Lagunera returned to the Mexican League. The new Algodoneros de Unión Laguna played their home games inGómez Palacio, Durangofrom 1970 to 1974, and moved across the border to Torreón for the 1975 season with the construction ofEstadio Superior,which reused the structure of the former Colt Stadium inHouston.The move coincided with new ownership, Don Juan Abusaid Ríos.[3]The team won the Zona Norte in 1974, 1976, and 1978, but fell to theDiablos Rojos del México(1974, 1976) andRieleros de Aguascalientes(1978) in the league championship. After the 1981 season and a falling out between ownership and GovernorJosé de las Fuentes,Abusaid sold the team to theSindicato de Trabajadores Petroleros de la República Mexicana(Union of Oil Workers of the Mexican Republic), which moved the franchise toTampico,Tamaulipas.While the stadium was taken down in Torreón and moved to Tampico, the franchise spent the 1982 season inMonclova, Coahuila,as the Astros de Monclova.

1985–2003

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In 1985, theIndios de Ciudad Juárezwere bought by Jorge Dueñes Zurita[3]and moved to Torreón, where the franchise has remained since. The team made the postseason in 1989, 1990, 1992, and 1994, but in their lone league championship appearance in 1990, they fell in five games to theBravos de León.Unión Laguna was bought in 1997 by FEMSA-Cervecería Cuauhtémoc-Moctezuma,[3]which sold the team in 2002 to Ricardo Martín Bringas, the director general of OrganizaciónSoriana.[5]

Vaqueros Laguna

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Vaqueros Laguna logo used between the 2003 and 2016 seasons

At the beginning of the 21st century, the new management opted to change the team's name and colors. The Vaqueros Laguna (Laguna Cowboys) donned orange uniforms beginning with the 2003 season. The team appeared in the playoffs in 2004, 2009, 2014, and 2015, the latter two years as the wild card.

Vaqueros Unión Laguna

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The 2017 season marked a return to tradition for baseball in Torreón as the franchise restored the Unión Laguna name and switched back to maroon as its primary color.[6]

Return to Algodoneros

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The 2018 season further marked a return to tradition for baseball in Torreón, as the franchise restored the original name under which the club had been founded in 1940: the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna.[7]

Among their best players in history areMiguel Gaspar,Guillermo Garibay, Pedro "Charolito" Orta, Moisés Camacho,[8]Leo Rodríguez,Martín Dihigo,[9]Jesus "Chanquilón" Diaz, Antonio Pollorena, andHéctor Espino.[10]

Roster

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Players Coaches/Other

Pitchers

Catchers

  • 14Javier Figueroa
  • 5Alejandro Flores
  • 25Dean Nevárez

Infielders

Outfielders

  • 64Aaron Altherr
  • 31Francisco Hernández
  • 66Edgar Robles
  • 10Nick Torres


Manager

  • 24Ramón Orantes

Coaches

  • 63Antonio Aguilera
  • 48Michel Enríquez
  • 33Ernesto Espinoza
  • 52Jesús Manso
  • 45Alfredo Meza
  • 19Javier Robles
  • 69Arturo Ruiz


7-day injured list

~ Development list
# Rehab assignment
∞ Reserve list
‡ Restricted list
§ Suspended list
† Temporarily inactive list
Rosterupdated July 25, 2024
Transactions
→ More rosters:MiLBMexican League

Retired numbers

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  • 6 Pedro Orta
  • 11 Guillermo Garibay
  • 21 Héctor Espino

Championships

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Season Manager Opponent Series score Record
1942 Martín Dihigo No final series 48–40
1950 Guillermo Garibay Charros de Jalisco 4–2 48–36
Total championships 2

References

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  1. ^Rodarte, Ernesto (20 May 2021)."LMB vuelve con más fuerza que nunca para su temporada 2021".ESPN Deportes(in Spanish).Retrieved27 May2021.
  2. ^"Torreón y el Estadio de la Revolución: toda una leyenda".MiLB(in Spanish). 28 January 2010.Retrieved9 July2024.
  3. ^abcdLuna Walss, Rodolfo (20 July 2005)."El negocio del béisbol".El Siglo de Torreón(in Spanish).Retrieved23 April2017.
  4. ^Morales, Tomás (27 February 2015)."Unión Laguna y el título de 1950".MiLB(in Spanish).Retrieved4 July2024.
  5. ^Luna Walss, Rodolfo (27 July 2005)."El negocio del béisbol".El Siglo de Torreón.Retrieved23 April2017.
  6. ^Corpus, Salvador (17 February 2017)."Vaqueros presenta nueva imagen".LMB(in Spanish).Retrieved23 April2017.
  7. ^"Regresan los Algodoneros Unión Laguna".LMB(in Spanish). 2 February 2018.Retrieved3 February2018.
  8. ^"Moises Camacho Mexican & Minor Leagues Statistics & History".Baseball-Reference.Retrieved1 May2017.
  9. ^"Martín Dihigo Mexican & Minor Leagues Statistics & History".Baseball-Reference.Retrieved1 May2017.
  10. ^"Héctor Espino Mexican & Minor Leagues Statistics & History".Baseball-Reference.Retrieved1 May2017.
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