Alacranes de Durango (baseball club) explained

There are three Minor League Baseball clubs named Alacranes de Durango (Durango Scorpions) in Mexican Baseball History.^[1]

In all its incarnations, the Alacranes have represented the city of Durango, the capital, and the largest city of the Mexican state of Durango. Since the classification of minor leagues began, they have been labeled as classes C, A and AAA in a span of 12 seasons from 1956 to 1979. The name is traditional for all sports teams from Durango, as its association football club is also called the Alacranes.

In 1978, Joel Pérez won the Mexican League Rookie of the Year Award, he became the only player in the history of the club to receive such honour.^{[2] [3]}

Besides, Durango is known nationally and even internationally as the Land of the Scorpions (Tierra de los Alacranes), due to abundant species of scorpions on its territory, especially in the colonial areas.^[4]

Alacranes de Durango chronology

Year	League	Class	Record	Finish	Manager	Notes	Ref
1956		C	45-54	5th	Salvador Sahuayo Adolfo Cabrera		^[5]
1957	Mexican Central League	C	52-48	3rd	Virgilio Arteaga		^[6]
		A	66-72	4th	Regino García Francisco Martínez		^[7]
	Mexican Center League	A	67-69	5th	Francisco Martínez		^[8]
	Mexican Center League	A	45-95	8th	Epitacio Torres		^[9]
	Mexican Center League	A	34-35	4th	Guillermo Frayde		^[10]
	Mexican Center League	A	25-43	8th	Felipe Hernández		^[11]
	Mexican Center League	A	52-23	1st	Manuel Fortes		^[12]
		AAA	54-79	15th			^[13]
	Mexican League	AAA	77-71	7th	Benjamin Cerda		^[14]
	Mexican League	AAA	85-65	4th (tied)	Benjamin Cerda		^[15]
	Mexican League	AAA	58-74	16th	Benjamin Cerda		^[16]

1. Served as a farm club for AAA Algodoneros del Unión Laguna
2. Served as a farm club for AAA Charros de Jalisco
3. Won Championship
4. Lost in 1st round of playoffs
5. Lost in 1st round of playoffs

Notable players

• Kim Allen (1976)
• Jim Bouton !(1977)
• Jim Breazeale (1976)
• Ted Ford (1976–1977)
• Wayne Granger (1977)
• Jerry Hairston (1979)
• Rudy Hernández (1976)
• Jeff Holly (1976)
• Max León (1979)
• Buck Leonard (1956)
• Roberto Méndez (1976–1979)
• Bill Moran (1976)
• Ivan Murrell (1976)
• Tom Norton (1976)
• Reggie Sanders (1977)
• Ray Torres (1977–1979)
• Earl Williams (1979)

Further reading

• Treto Cisneros, Pedro (2002). The Mexican League/La Liga Mexicana: Comprehensive Player Statistics, 1937-2001. McFarland & Company.
• Worth, Richard (2013). Baseball Team Names: A Worldwide Dictionary, 1869–2011. McFarland & Company.

Notes and References

1. https://www.baseball-reference.com:8080/bullpen/Alacranes_de_Durango Alacranes de Durango History
2. Web site: Armando. Esquivel. El 'Chino' Pérez. El Siglo de Durango. 26 March 2021. 26 February 2024. es.
3. Web site: Armando. Esquivel. El 'Chino' Pérez. El Siglo de Durango. 2 April 2021. 26 February 2024. es.
4. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-22-mn-3365-story.html Durango's Cult of the Scorpion
5. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=2da8fd70 1956 Alacranes de Durango season
6. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=72647026 1957 Alacranes de Durango season
7. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=4fa068f0 1965 Alacranes de Durango season
8. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=a4e82ca0 1966 Alacranes de Durango season
9. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=ec0e344a 1967 Alacranes de Durango season
10. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=4aad23a6 1972 Alacranes de Durango season
11. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=6f262055 1973 Alacranes de Durango season
12. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=4d7cbea5 1974 Alacranes de Durango season
13. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=f5c3e6bf 1976 Alacranes de Durango season
14. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=087d7e20 1977 Alacranes de Durango season
15. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=814653e5 1978 Alacranes de Durango season
16. https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=2f237f64 1979 Alacranes de Durango season