Naranjeros is the champion and will be Mexico in the Caribbean Series

Hermosillo defeated and swept Venados de Mazatlán in the final series of the Mexican Pacific League, winning the title and a ticket to the Miami 2024 Caribbean Series.

MAZATLAN — Left-hander Zach Matson struck out seven without allowing a run in six innings, and the Naranjeros de Hermosillo beat Venados de Mazatlan 4-0 on Wednesday night, winning the Mexican Pacific League championship and a ticket to Miami's 2024 Caribbean Series.

Mexican Major Leaguer Isaac Paredes hit an RBI double in two innings, while Agustín Murillo and Andretty Cordero produced one each in singles, so the Naranjeros were crowned for the fourth time in their history at Teodoro Mariscal Stadium in their fourth final series. Against Venados.

In the four matches Hermosillo has won at Venados, the Naranjeros have delivered three knockouts–J5 from 2000-01 (5-0); J7 from 2009-2010 (1-0) and now J4 in 2023-2024 (4-0). In the other game they only allowed one run–J4 from 2006-2007 (3-1).

Under the leadership of Juan Gabriel Castro, the Naranjeros asserted themselves as the winningest team in Mexican winter baseball with 17, and ended the longest drought without a crown by winning their first title since being champions in the 2013-14 season, where they also won Caribbean Series in February 2014 in Venezuela.

Hermosillo swept Mazatlán in four games and set a new LMP postseason record with 11 straight victories, surpassing the ten achieved by the same Venados in the 1986–1987 season. Naranjeros broke his No. 9 in a row, which he achieved in 1989-90.

Germany's Aaron Alther was named the MVP of the final series, hitting two home runs and driving in five runs.

The Naranjeros got the win in the third inning against Luis Fernando Miranda when Cordero received a walk and advanced to second base on a hit by Irving Lopez. After striking out Jose Cardona and Jason Atondo, Paredes hit a deep shot to left center field to bring in two runs.

In the seventh inning they got back on the attack when Albert Martinez led off a double, drove up the pitch and scored on a single for Murillo. After hitting Cesar Salazar and robbing Murillo, Cordero drove through the middle to make it 4-0, silencing the majority of the 15,198 fans.

Mattson earned the victory by completing his work with five hits and one strikeout, while Miranda went five innings, allowing just two hits and two runs, with three walks and eight strikeouts.

Venados scored just 5 runs in the series, the fewest for a team in an LMP final since 2008-09, when Caneros de los Mochis earned the same amount against the same Mazatlán team in four games.

Hermosillo would return to Miami as a champion to play in the Caribbean Series, having done so in 1990, when he finished with a 1-5 record.