The Sultanes de Monterrey walked into Estadio Francisco Villa — the same park where Caliente de Durango swept them three straight back in July — and walked out with Game 1 of the North Zone Semifinal: a 6-2 win that puts Monterrey up 1-0 in the best-of-seven series.
The game was tight for most of the night. Caliente scored first in the bottom of the first, and the score stayed close as Sultanes starter Daniel Mengden matched up against Cuban right-hander Odrisamer Despaigne on the Durango side. A packed Estadio Francisco Villa pushed the home team through seven innings of a tied ballgame.
Núñez Delivers the Punch
The dam broke in the eighth. Dominican infielder Gustavo Núñez lined a go-ahead RBI single that put Monterrey ahead 3-2 and gave them a lead they never gave back. No home run, no highlight-reel moment — just a line drive at exactly the right time, the kind of hit that defines long series.
Núñez came into this postseason with numbers that explain why he gets those at-bats: he hit .341/.410/.530 with 40 RBI in 72 games during the 2025 LMB regular season, earned an All-Star nod in 2026, and has stolen 54 bases over his last three seasons in the league.
Franco and Hernández Slam the Door
Once Sultanes had the lead, they weren’t done. In the ninth, Maikel Franco and Yonny Hernández put the game away for good — Hernández ripping a two-run triple that stretched the margin and ended any comeback hopes for Durango. The final: 6-2, more comfortable than the scoreboard suggested through seven innings.
The win carries extra weight for Henry Blanco, the Venezuelan manager making his LMB managerial debut in this postseason. Taking Game 1 on the road, in a venue where Monterrey had lost its last three visits — Caliente swept them from July 28–30 — is the kind of narrative shift that matters in a series just getting started.
What’s Next
Game 2 goes Wednesday, August 19, back at Estadio Francisco Villa in Durango. A second road win would send Sultanes home to Walmart Park with room to breathe. A Caliente victory ties things up and makes for a very interesting series from the jump.
For context: Sultanes entered as the third seed in the North Zone at 49-44, behind Caliente’s 51-42 mark as the second seed. Monterrey eliminated the Charros de Jalisco 4-1 in the previous round; Durango did the same to the Acereros de Monclova. Two teams that won when it mattered — and this series is just getting started.
