1958, un trabuco llamado Tecolotes
México, D.F. (Tomás Morales) 10 de abril.- Después de tres años de ausencia, los Tecolotes de Nuevo Laredo volvieron al cuadrilátero de los ganadores y, con el cubano "Cheo" Ramos al timón, lograron un récord de 10 juegos sobre los Diablos Rojos, que terminaron en segundo lugar.
Cheo Ramos, jugador cubano por varios años, no tenía la fama como otros managers antillanos que vinieron a la Liga Mexicana, pero logró con su carácter tranquilo, apacible, poner contento a sus jugadores que armaron un trabuco y arrancaron fuerte contra los Diablos que apuntaban como el enemigo a vencer.
Todavía se vivían los tiempos en que los managers eran muy estrictos en la disciplina, pero "Cheo" Ramos y su tolerancia resultó perfecta para que el club trabajara como un club de amigos con mucha felicidad.
Cuando Tecolotes llevaba una ventaja de cuatro juegos en el primer lugar, fueron al Parque del Seguro Social y le ganaron los cuatro juegos al México, siendo durante esa serie que los Rojos despidieron a Preston Gómez de manager y fue reemplazado por Molinero Montes de Oca.
El primer juego de la serie fue definitivo en el curso que tomó el resto del compromiso y en la primera parte Ronnie Camacho dio un jonrón con la casa llena temprano en un juego que ganó 5-4 el 'tim' de la frontera.
Era sólida la batería del equip de José "Cheo" Ramos y en ese primer partido tuvo un orden al bat con el cubano Oscar Sardiñas en el jardín derecho, el panameño Pablo Bernard en el short y quien iba a debutar en nuestra liga siendo campeón bateador, el boricua José "Ronquito" García en el central, el jonronero Herminio Cortés, también de Puerto Rico, en el jardín izquierdo, Moi Camacho en la segunda base, Earl Taborn fue el catcher, Valdemar Carmona en tercera, Ronnie Camacho en primera y el boricua Florentino Rivera de pitcher.
Así de fuerte estaba el orden al bat que Ronnie era octavo en el line up, aunque todavía era un joven pelotero. Ese fue su primer año jonronero con 20, Moi Camacho dio 21 y fueron llamados "los Camacho de la destrucción". Herminio Cortés fue el líder de jonrones en el equipo con 25 y campeón de la liga en carreras empujadas con 98. Bernard fue también lider en hits con 182 y Sardiñas líder en dobles con 31.
FOTO: Ronnie y Moi Camacho con "Ronquito" García, con Tecolotes campeones de 1958.
Pablo Bernard bateó para .371 con su título de bateo y el nativo de Nuevo Laredo, Valdemar Carmona, dio para .301 con gran defensa en la tercera base y con un brazo de cañón. Otros bateadores de .300 lo fueron José García con .317, Oscar Sardiñas, llamado "el manguito volador", con .316, Walter Tyler con .310 y Eduardo Escalante con .301.
Los pitchers principales lo fueron el nudillero Tony Dicochea de Nogales, Sonora, con 16 ganados y 12 perdidos en el mejor momento de su carrera, el zurdo cubano Juan Piedra tuvo su mejor año mexicano con 15-11, el famoso Julio "Jiquí" Moreno, héroe de los amateurs cubanos y ya un veterano sabio, con 13-8 y el zurdo antillano Máximo García con 11-5. Miguel Sotelo y Arturo Cacheux, luego grandes estrellas mexicanos en la Liga Mexicana, fueron parte del cuerpo de abridores.
"Jiquí" Moreno terminó siendo campeón en carreras limpias con 2.70 y Piedra el número uno en ponches con 159. Romeo "Chino" Cadena fue el lanzador campeón en ganados y perdidos con récord de 7-1. Los campeones Tecos amarraron también varios títulos individuales.
Para Nuevo Laredo fue el tercer campeonato de su historia, ya que habían ganado los títulos de 1953 y 54 con el famoso piloto cubano Adolfo Luque. Un año antes habían finalizado en penúltimo de la temporada.
El nombre de Tecolotes llegó por ser el primer equipo de la Liga Mexicana en jugar partidos nocturnos.
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