Daniel Martínez finished the 2026 Liga Mexicana de Beisbol Banorte regular season as the hardest starter to score against in the entire league. With an ERA hovering around 1.97 at the All-Star break and an opponent batting average of just .204 — the lowest in the league — the 27-year-old right-hander from Riverside, California became the first ERA champion in Tijuana Toros history. In over a decade of the franchise’s modern era, no pitcher had done it before. Martínez did it in his first year with the team.
From Oakland and Atlanta’s Minors to Dominating the LMB
Martínez didn’t arrive in Tijuana with any fanfare. He signed his first professional contract with the Oakland Athletics in 2018, worked his way through the Atlanta Braves system through 2024, and never made his MLB debut. His first stop in Mexico was modest: eight appearances with the Nayarit Jaguars in the 2024-25 Liga Mexicana del Pacífico, posting a 3.79 ERA.
The 2026 season with the Toros was a different story entirely. Through his first nine starts he owned a 2.23 ERA, fourth-best among starters in the circuit. By the All-Star break he had climbed to 1.97 with a 5-1 record, second-best ERA in the LMB and first in opponent average. His campaign was dominant enough to earn him a call-up to the Mexican National Team for the Mid-Season Classic — recognition that goes well beyond the local league.
Pitching Coach Doug Mathis Played a Key Role
Pitching coach Doug Mathis was a major factor in Martínez’s progression. The mechanical and sequencing work showed up clearly in the numbers: he surrendered fewer home runs than expected, and — crucially — his ERA dropped as the season went on, the opposite of what usually happens to starters who come out hot and fade.
A Record More Than a Decade in the Making
The Toros’ modern era dates back to 2014. In that time the franchise won two Serie del Rey titles (2017 and 2021) and three Northern Zone pennants, including one of the most memorable comebacks in LMB history: the 2021 Serie del Rey, when they rallied from an 0-3 deficit against the Yucatán Lions — something that had only happened twice before in league history.
With all those banners hanging in the rafters, no Toros pitcher had ever closed a regular season as the league’s ERA leader. Until now.
The official final ERA will be confirmed on lmb.com.mx once the campaign closes, but the mid-season numbers — consistently below 2.10 since June — point to a title that was never really in doubt over the final months.
The Best Pitching Staff in the LMB
Martínez’s individual milestone sits inside a collective season that made Tijuana the best pitching staff in the league:
- 3.27 team ERA
- 561 strikeouts — league leader
- 40 home runs allowed — fewest in the LMB
The Toros were also the first team to reach 40 wins in the 2026 campaign.
Martínez wasn’t the only arm that shined. Noah Skirrow reached the All-Star break at 7-1 with 76 strikeouts, leading all starters in both categories. Brett de Geus closed out with 15 saves, also tops in the league. And Roel Ramírez rounded out a bullpen that manager Roberto Kelly — a former big leaguer and ex-skipper of the Sultanes de Monterrey — handled with uncommon consistency all season long.
A starter who doesn’t give away runs, a closer who doesn’t give away games, and a staff that punches out hitters instead of gambling on the defense — that’s exactly the brand of baseball Kelly has preached since taking over the dugout. Martínez’s ERA title is the clearest symbol of a season Tijuana fans will be talking about for a long time, no matter what happens in the postseason.
