Connect with us

Published

on

PHILADELPHIA — Ranger Suárez never had spent a Father’s Day with his two young children. Stuck in Venezuela because of a complicated visa process, his wife never had left the country nor watched the left-hander pitch in person with the Philadelphia Phillies.

His family missed out on watching Suárez rise from a little-known teenage prospect that signed with the Phillies as an international free agent in 2012 to an ace and potential All-Star for the team in the National League with the best record.

No more.

At last, the family has been reunited in the United States.

Suárez picked up a no-decision and tossed six solid innings for the Phillies, who lost 5-2 to the San Diego Padres on Wednesday. The outcome almost didn’t seem to matter for once to Suárez.

That’s because his family cheered him on at Citizens Bank Park.

His wife, Joseany, and their two young children, Sofia and Dominick, sat behind the plate and gave Suárez all the reasons he needed to smile in the clubhouse following a start nearly a decade in the making.

“I am very excited to go home and see them, hug them, talk with them, play with them,” Suárez said through an interpreter.

“I saw them before the game and it’s a totally different feeling. Very cool,” he said.

The 28-year-old Suárez, who was raised in Pies de Cuesta, Venezuela, has enjoyed a breakout season with the Phillies and helped lead them to a 49-25 record.

He is 10-1 with a 1.75 ERA — one of just four Phillies starting pitchers since the stat became official in 1912 to boast an ERA of 1.75 or lower through their first 15 starts.

Suárez has been touted as a front-runner to start the All-Star Game for the National League next month in Texas.

“If they call me for the All-Star Game, I would definitely go and bring my family,” he said. “That would be a great experience to play my first All-Star Game and bring them.”

Suárez and Joseany were married in the offseason in part to aid the process of helping her obtain the visa needed to bring the family to the United States. The couple share 6-year-old Sofia and 3-year-old Dominick. Joseany and the children watched the Phillies play on TV and cheered on Suárez as helped lead the team to the World Series in 2022 and the NL Championship Series last season. Suárez knows how much it would mean to everyone if the entire family could enjoy another postseason run.

“Every time I pitch, and even when I don’t, they always watch Phillies games and are cheering for us,” he said. “The little one really likes it, they both do.”

The only part better for Suárez than having his family at the game was having it all together for the first time on Father’s Day.

“Happy, very happy. We were excited because they arrived on Father’s Day,” he said. “Since they were born, I have never been with them on Father’s Day, so it made me very excited when they arrived at the house. Very happy.”

Continue Reading

Sports

Flames’ Zary gets 2 games for elbowing Pettersson

Published

on

By

Flames' Zary gets 2 games for elbowing Pettersson

NEW YORK — Calgary forward Connor Zary was suspended two games without pay Thursday for elbowing Vancouver defenseman Elias Pettersson during the Canucks’ 4-3 shootout victory over the Flames.

Zary, 23, was assessed a minor penalty for interference on the play at 11:19 of the first period Wednesday night. The suspension will cost him $8,993 in salary.

After Pettersson knocked Calgary center Nazem Kadri off his skates just as Kadri unloaded the puck and crossed the blue line, Zary retaliated with a blindside hit that led to the penalty.

Pettersson had the tying goal with 6:44 remaining in regulation and scored in the first round of the shootout. Conor Garland added the winner in the fourth round of the shootout.

Continue Reading

Sports

Devils’ Hamilton out for regular season, GM says

Published

on

By

Devils' Hamilton out for regular season, GM says

New Jersey Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton will miss the remainder of the regular season and “possibly” the playoffs due to a lower-body injury, general manager Tom Fitzgerald said.

When pressed if Hamilton could return if the Devils reach the second round of the postseason, Fitzgerald wasn’t too optimistic on Wednesday.

“We’re not planning on it, how’s that?” Fitzgerald said during an appearance on the “Krackin’ Canuckleheads” podcast.

Hamilton has been sidelined since he was tangled up with Stars forward Mason Marchment in the first period of a 4-3 loss to Dallas on March 4.

Hamilton, 31, has 40 points (nine goals, 31 assists) in 63 games this season. He is competing in the fourth campaign of his seven-year, $63 million contract.

Hamilton has totaled 501 points (151 goals, 350 assists) in 834 career games with the Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes and Devils.

Hamilton was selected by the Bruins with the ninth overall pick of the 2011 NHL draft.

Continue Reading

Sports

Devers: Willing to do whatever Red Sox want

Published

on

By

Devers: Willing to do whatever Red Sox want

Rafael Devers told reporters Thursday that he’s “good to do whatever” the Boston Red Sox want him to do, an indication that he’s willing to move away from third base and serve as the team’s designated hitter this season.

A switch of roles didn’t seem likely last month, when Devers balked at the idea at moving to DH in the wake of Boston signing Alex Bregman.

“Third base is my position,” Devers said then.

But the three-time All-Star said Thursday that he spoke with manager Alex Cora and chief baseball officer Craig Breslow a few weeks ago and told them “I’m good to do whatever they want me to do.

“I’m here to help,” he said through his interpreter, according to The Athletic. “I’ve already spoken with them about that and they know where I stand, but I’m just ready to play.

“I’m not going to share what we talked about here just because it would make me come off … those are private conversations. So I told them everything of my point of view, how I see things, and they know that.”

Devers has yet to appear in an official spring training game for Boston. It was supposed to happen Tuesday but got pushed back to this weekend. He battled soreness in both of his shoulders last season and spent the first couple of weeks of spring training trying to strengthen them ahead of the regular season.

He did play in an intrasquad game Thursday in Fort Myers, Florida, before he spoke with the media, and had a home run off new Red Sox starter Walker Buehler.

Asked if he expects to be ready for Opening Day against the Rangers on March 27 in Texas, Devers said: “I expect to be there.”

Continue Reading

Trending