Diablos Rojos del México

Lore & Background

The team was established in January 1940 as Club México Rojo or Rojos del México by manager Ernesto Carmona and wrestling promoter Salvador Lutteroth, who provided financial backing. The club formed after Mexico City's two professional teams, Indios de Anáhuac and Tigres de Comintra, left the Mexican League after 1939. The Rojos debuted on 31 March 1940 against the Azules de Veracruz, who became their greatest rival. During a 1942 game on 23 April, the Rojos trailed 13–7 in the ninth inning before scoring seven runs to win; Basilio 'Brujo' Rosell exclaimed that 'these Reds play like devils,' giving the team its nickname.

The Diablos won their first pennant in 1956 under Cuban manager Lázaro Salazar, finishing with an 83–37 record. They claimed their second title in 1964 under Tomás Herrera, and a third in 1968. The 1970s saw three championships in four seasons (1973, 1974, 1976) under managers including Cananea Reyes. The 1980s brought four titles (1981, 1985, 1987, 1988), with Nelson Barrera starring in 1987. In 1999, the team won the championship in their final year at Parque del Seguro Social before moving to Foro Sol. The 2002 and 2003 titles were dedicated to owner Chara Mansur and player Nelson Barrera, and to longtime batboy Antonio 'El Abuelo' Mora, respectively.

Reader's Guide

The Diablos Rojos del México are a cornerstone of Mexican professional baseball, holding a league-leading 18 championships and one Baseball Champions League Americas title, won undefeated as hosts in 2025. Their significance extends beyond the field: the team's nickname originated from a spontaneous remark during a 1942 comeback, and their history reflects the evolution of the Mexican League, including stadium changes from Parque del Seguro Social to Foro Sol and later to Estadio Alfredo Harp Helú. The franchise has been owned by figures such as Salvador Lutteroth, Angel Vazquez, and the Mansur family, and has featured notable managers like Cananea Reyes and players like Nelson Barrera. The Diablos have also played exhibition games against Major League Baseball's New York Yankees (1968) and Texas Rangers (1974 and 2012). Their legacy includes back-to-back championships four times and a period of dominance in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as a 2005 season where they fielded only Mexican players. The team's rivalry with the Tigres Capitalinos (later Tigres de Quintana Roo) is one of the most storied in Mexican baseball.

Did You Know?

• The team's nickname 'Diablos Rojos' originated from a 1942 game when Basilio 'Brujo' Rosell exclaimed 'these Reds play like devils' after a ninth-inning comeback.
• The Diablos won the 2025 Baseball Champions League Americas title undefeated as hosts.
• In 1968, the Diablos defeated Major League Baseball's New York Yankees in a preseason exhibition game.
• The team played its final season at Parque del Seguro Social in 1999, winning the championship before the stadium was demolished for a park and commercial area.

Birth of a New Franchise

The Diablos Rojos del México arrived on the professional basketball scene in May 2024 as an expansion entry to the Liga Nacional de Baloncesto Profesional. The club was founded under the umbrella of Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú, the same organization that already fields the Diablos Rojos baseball franchise in Mexico's top baseball league. This cross-sport branding gave the basketball outfit an instant identity and a ready-made fanbase. The team was formally unveiled to the public on May 22, 2024, just weeks before the 2024 LNBP campaign tipped off. Argentine coach Nicolás Casalánguida was named the club's manager at launch, bringing international coaching experience to a brand-new roster. As a first-year expansion side, the Diablos Rojos entered the league carrying the pressure of proving that a Mexico City basketball franchise could compete at the highest level almost immediately.

A Home Court in Transition

The choice of arena became one of the early defining stories of the franchise. When the Diablos Rojos were first announced, the plan was to call the Palacio de los Deportes home — a 20,000-seat coliseum that had hosted the basketball tournament during the 1968 Summer Olympics. That venue carried enormous historical weight and would have placed the team in one of the largest basketball spaces in the country. However, on May 11, 2024, the organization pivoted to the smaller Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, which seats 5,242 fans. That gymnasium had previously served as the home of Capitanes de Ciudad de México between 2017 and 2020, meaning the Diablos Rojos were stepping into a space already familiar to local basketball followers. The shift from a 20,000-capacity Olympic landmark to a mid-size indoor arena reflected the practical realities of launching a new professional basketball program in Mexico City.

A Championship in the Debut Season

The 2024 campaign was supposed to be a learning year for a brand-new expansion club, but the Diablos Rojos turned it into a title run. Their official debut came on July 22, 2024, at the Gimnasio Olímpico Juan de la Barrera, where they fell just one point short to Santos de San Luis, 88 to 89. That narrow loss set the tone for a season of close contests. Over the full regular schedule the squad posted a 21-win, 11-loss mark, good enough for third place and a playoff berth. In the postseason they dispatched Soles de Mexicali in the West Zone Championship, winning the best-of series four games to two on November 16, 2024. That victory sent them to the LNBP Championship Series against Halcones de Xalapa. In a five-game showdown the Diablos Rojos emerged victorious, capturing the 2024 LNBP title in their very first season of competition.

Breaking a Mexico City Drought

The most resonant legacy the Diablos Rojos wrote in 2024 was becoming the first team based in Mexico City to ever lift the LNBP championship trophy. For a city that had long been a hub of Mexican sports culture — home to the baseball Diablos Rojos, the 1968 Olympic basketball venue, and previous LNBP franchises — the absence of a local basketball champion was a notable gap. By winning the title as a first-year expansion side, the new club erased that oversight in a single season. The achievement also deepened the broader Diablos Rojos brand, linking a championship basketball franchise to the already-established baseball organization under Fundación Alfredo Harp Helú. For fans who had followed the Capitanes or other previous Mexico City basketball efforts, the 2024 title represented a long-awaited homecoming of top-level basketball success to the capital.

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