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The Liga Mexicana de Béisbol began its 101st season on April 16, with the defending champion Diablos Rojos del México opening at home against the Piratas de Campeche. In the official season opener at Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú, the Diablos began their title defense with a 4-2 victory behind timely hitting and strong pitching.
In Mexico City, the Diablos entered the year as one of the favorites to repeat after an aggressive offseason and another veteran-heavy roster. The club remains managed by Lorenzo Bundy and has retooled key middle-of-the-order spots heading into 2026.
Around the league, contenders in both divisions opened with renewed expectations. In the North Conference, Sultanes de Monterrey and Charros de Jalisco are widely viewed as major challengers, while clubs such as Acereros de Monclova, Toros de Tijuana and Algodoneros de Unión Laguna are expected to remain in the postseason race. Verified opening-weekend scores for several North Zone series were not fully consolidated across public English-language sources at publication time, but Monterrey entered the season among the favorites.
The South Conference again runs through Mexico City, but several teams hope to close the gap. Leones de Yucatán, Pericos de Puebla, El Águila de Veracruz and Olmecas de Tabasco all entered the new campaign with realistic playoff ambitions.
One new wrinkle this season is the use of the ABS Challenge System, which allows limited ball-strike challenges by hitters, pitchers and catchers after successful preseason testing. The league becomes one of the highest-profile professional circuits outside MLB to adopt the system.
The regular season runs through Aug. 6, with six teams from each zone qualifying for the playoffs. Monterrey will host the 92nd All-Star Game festivities during the June 26–28 break, before the race toward the Serie del Rey intensifies in August and September.
