Daniel Michael Firova (born October 16, 1956) is an American professional baseball catcher and coach. As a player, he caught 17 games: 13 in 1981 and three in 1982 for the Seattle Mariners, and one in 1988 for the Cleveland Indians. In most of those games, he entered late in the game as a defensive replacement. He came to the plate a grand total of seven times with no hits or walks.
| Dan Firova | |
|---|---|
| Catcher / Coach | |
| Born: October 16, 1956 Refugio, Texas, U.S. | |
Batted: Right Threw: Right | |
| MLB debut | |
| September 1, 1981, for the Seattle Mariners | |
| Last MLB appearance | |
| July 28, 1988, for the Cleveland Indians | |
| MLB statistics | |
| Batting average | .000 |
| Games played | 17 |
| At bats | 7 |
| Teams | |
|
As Coach | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Playing career
editWhile Firova was a freshman at Refugio High School, he accidentally cut off the little finger on his throwing hand with a band saw in shop class.[1] Despite this, he earned a two-year baseball scholarship at Bee County College.[2] After that, he played baseball at Pan American College, where he earned his degree, and was subsequently drafted by the Mariners.[2] He spent two seasons in the minor leagues with various teams, made his major league debut for the Mariners on September 1, 1981, and played in 13 games. He also played in two games in 1982, but primarily spent 1981, 1982, and 1983 with the Nuevo Laredo Tecolotes of the Mexican League.
Firova returned to the Mariners organization in 1985, and remained with them through 1987. He signed with the Cleveland Indians in 1988, and played in one major league game for them. He spent 1989 with the Chicago Cubs organization, then played in the Mexican League through 1993.
Coaching career
editFirova served as the manager of Vaqueros Laguna in the Mexican League. He began managing in the Mexican League in 1993,[2] and was named that league's Manager of the Year in 2000.[2]
As a club manager, Firova won 3 Mexican League Championships with the Mexico City Tigres in 1997, 2000 and 2001.
The Washington Nationals announced on December 15, 2015, that Firova would serve as Bullpen Coach with the team.[3] His contract with them expired after the 2017 season.[4]
Firova was announced as the manager for the Triple–A Acereros de Monclova of the Mexican League for the Spring Tournament of the 2018 season.[5] He was not brought back for the second tournament of the season.
In 2019, Firova returned to Acereros de Monclova as the team's bench coach.
On January 28, 2021, Firova joined the Houston Astros to serve as Quality Control coach with the major league team.[6] In 2022, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the World Series and defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to give Firova his first career World Series title.[7]
References
edit- ^ Forman, Mike (August 18, 2016). "Refugio native's perseverance rewarded by Nationals". The Victoria Advocate. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c d Nelson, Kenda. "Refugio baseball star named manager of Laredo Brancos", The Refugio County Press, March 25, 2010.
- ^ http://www.TalkNats.com website
- ^ Adams, Steve (October 20, 2017). "Dusty Baker Will Not Return As Nationals' Manager In 2018". MLB Trade Rumors. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ "Dan Firova, nuevo manager de Acereros".
- ^ "Astros finalize '21 coaching staff with 2 hires". MLB.com. January 28, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2021.
- ^ Rome, Chandler (November 5, 2022). "Undisputed: 'It proves we're the best team in baseball ... They have nothing to say now.'". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 6, 2022.
External links
edit
- Career statistics and player information from Baseball Reference, or Baseball Reference (Minors)
