Manny Bañuelos walked into Game 1 of the 2026 LMB Banorte First Playoff round carrying a 4.83 ERA from the regular season. What he delivered Sunday was something else entirely: seven complete innings, zero runs, two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. Sultanes de Monterrey beat Charros de Jalisco 3-1 at Walmart Park, and the left-hander from Gómez Palacio, Durango went home with the game’s MVP award.
A Performance Nobody Saw Coming
Bañuelos finished the 2026 regular season at 7-4 with a 4.83 ERA — not the profile of a postseason ace, and nobody was penciling him in as the guy who’d dominate in October. Or August, as the LMB calendar has it. But playoff baseball plays by its own rules, and Bañuelos took full advantage.
The 35-year-old southpaw retired batter after batter across seven innings. The complete line: 2 hits, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts, no runs. Sultanes’ bullpen finished the job and the 3-1 final gave Monterrey the series lead. The league officially named Bañuelos the game’s MVP, and his outing stands as the most dominant by any pitcher in this postseason so far.
Why This Win Carries Extra Weight
Sultanes and Charros have been here before. In 2025, these two met in the same First Playoff round — and it went the distance. Jalisco eliminated Monterrey four games to three, a result that cost manager Roberto Kelly his job. Henry Blanco took over for 2026. Winning Game 1 isn’t just getting a win; it’s putting last year’s elimination behind them.
Sultanes finished the regular season 49-44, third in the North Division. Charros went 48-45, fourth in the North, and arrived in this series after sweeping Dorados de Chihuahua in the previous round. On paper, these teams are even. On Sunday, the difference was a left-hander saving his best start for when it mattered most.
What’s Next for the Series
Game 2 goes Monday, August 10. Daniel Mengden starts for Sultanes; Manny Barreda takes the ball for Charros. Worth noting: Barreda is a right-hander from Arizona — a completely different pitcher despite sharing a first name with Bañuelos. The series then shifts to Guadalajara for Games 4 and 5 at Estadio Panamericano on August 12 and 13.
The Long Road That Led to This Moment
Bañuelos has lived a full baseball life. He came up through the Yankees organization, then made big-league stops with the Braves, White Sox, and Pirates. From there he headed to Asia — the CPBL with Fubon Guardians and Rakuten Monkeys, then Japan’s NPB with Tohoku Rakuten. His return to Mexico brought him back to the LMB as the most experienced arm on Sultanes’ roster.
At 35, with a regular-season ERA that raised no eyebrows, going out and shutting down a playoff opponent for seven innings says more about a pitcher than any number from April through July ever could. Sultanes lead the series. Charros have to answer.
