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| Acereros de Monclova | |||||
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| Information | |||||
| League | Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (Zona Norte) | ||||
| Location | Monclova, Coahuila | ||||
| Ballpark | Estadio Kickapoo Lucky Eagle (1975–present) | ||||
| Founded | 1974 | ||||
| Nickname | Furia Azul (Blue Fury)[1] | ||||
| Serie del Rey championships | 1 (2019) | ||||
| Division championships | 3 (1998, 2015, 2019) | ||||
| Former name |
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| Former ballpark | |||||
| Colors | Blue, red, white | ||||
| Ownership | Gerardo Benavides Pape | ||||
| General manager | Valentín Gámez | ||||
| Manager | Juan Castro | ||||
| Media | Zocalo,XHMZI-FM,XHMAP | ||||
| Website | acereros | ||||
TheAcereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are aprofessional baseball team in theMexican League (LMB) based inMonclova, Coahuila,Mexico. Their homeballpark isEstadio de Béisbol Monclova, which has a capacity of 8500 people. The Acereros replaced theMineros de Coahuila in the 1976 season.
Officially named theAcereros del Norte (Steelers of the North), the Acereros de Monclova (Monclova Steelers) debuted in the Mexican League on 23 March 1974, as theMineros de Coahuila (Miners of Coahuila) against theIndios de Ciudad Juárez at Parque Deportivo AHMSA[2]. They weremanaged by "Sergeant Shrapnel" Tomás Herrera. The team moved intoEstadio Monclova on 16 March 1975, with a game between the Mineros and theAlijadores de Tampico.[3] The team reached the playoffs for the first time in 1976, but were eliminated by Juárez.
In 1980, the team changed their name to Acereros de Monclova and were led by managerVictor Favela. They advanced to the postseason by virtue of finishing in third place in the Northern Zone, but lost 4–0 to theTecolotes de los Dos Laredos.
The 1986 Steelers set a record for runs scored with 203, matching also their record mosthome runs hit in a game. They finished the regular season as the leader of the North Division with a 76–51 record, with a five-game lead over theSultanes de Monterrey. However, after winning in six games in the first round of the playoffs over Dos Laredos, they fell in the North Division Championship Series to the Sultanes in seven games. In 1987, Monclova defeated Monterrey in five games, but were then defeated in five games by the Tecolotes. Monclova was defeated by the Tecolotes again in the first round of the 1990 playoffs.
Northern Steel Group purchased the team in 1992 and rebranded it as the Acereros del Norte. They took third place in 1993, but fell in five games to Monterrey in the first round. The Acereros returned to the playoffs in 1996, but lost to Monterrey, 4–2, in the first round. Monclova set the attendance record for all of the Mexican League in 1997. In the playoffs, they lost to the Olmecas de Tabasco in four games.
In 1998, the Steelers made it to the championship finals for the first time in 24 years. They were managed byAurelio Rodriguez, and included players such as Jesus "Chito" Ríos, Juan Manuel Palafox, Boi Rodriguez, Luis Raven. In that postseason, Monclova beat theLangosteros de Cancún and then went on to defeat theTigres Capitalinos in seven games. In the final round, they were swept by theGuerreros de Oaxaca in four games. They returned to the postseason in 1999, beating Cancun in the first round, but losing to the Tigres, 4–2, in the second round. They won the first round in 2001 against theBroncos de Reynosa in six games, but lost second round to theDiablos Rojos del México, 4–2.
The Acereros did not return to the playoffs until 2007 where they were defeated by Monterrey in seven games. They finished the 2008 season in first place. They went on to win the first round against theDorados de Chihuahua in seven games, but lost the next round to Monterrey in four games.
In February 2017, the grandson of founder Harold Pape, Gerardo Benavides Pape, purchased the team bringing it back to family ownership.
The Acereros home stadium isMonclova Stadium, located in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico. It has natural grass surface and capacity for 11,000 people. It was inaugurated on March 16, 1975, and remodeled and enlarged in 1996.
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