It’s been 10 years since Daniel Suárez raced in his native Mexico. He was in his early 20s, competing in the NASCAR Mexico Series while also commuting to the United States, where he would compete in what is now known as the ARCA Menards Series East — the stock-car equivalent of Single-A baseball.
He’ll do it again this weekend when he pulls double duty at Mexico City’s Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez road course, competing in both the Xfinity Series and the Cup Series — the first time NASCAR’s headliners will race in the country.
“It’s very special,” Suárez told ESPN. “Honestly, it’s very difficult to put into perspective for people. Only those who really know me very well understand how important and special this is for me.
“After a lot of work and sacrifices, I was able to make it in NASCAR Mexico, and at one point in my life, that was my goal — that was my ultimate goal. I was able to get there at an early age, which gave me hope to be able to do something in the United States.”
Suárez’s story is a Hollywood script, the quintessential American dream. His family didn’t come from racing or money, but they did what they could to support their son. When Suárez was 17, he was ready to quit racing because his funding had run out, then along came a big-time sponsor that helped Suárez turn his dreams into reality — helping him move to the U.S. despite not speaking English.
His journey Stateside included staying on the couch of a friend in Buffalo, New York, and continuing to split time between racing in Mexico and the United States. Eventually, Suárez landed in Charlotte, North Carolina, and soon was on the radar of Joe Gibbs Racing, which gave him a shot at the Xfinity Series in 2014. He was champion two years later, and has gone on to become a two-time winner in the Cup Series.
As for the language barrier, Suárez, who now drives the No. 99 Chevrolet for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series, taught himself English — and in the most endearing way. When his focus wasn’t on racing, it was on watching cartoons. The children-centric shows were easy to follow and the words clearly pronounced.
“And now coming back to my home country as a NASCAR Cup Series winner and an Xfinity Series champion, all these different things, it’s very special,” Suárez said. “Not just for me, but a lot of people who have been in my corner for many, many years, for the fans, the media, for Mexico. They have known me for many years. So, it’s very special.”
Suárez never imagined when he left his home country that the Cup Series would run in Mexico. It was a dream, but nothing more than one of those “what if” dreams, a “maybe one day” dream.
There is no arguing that he is the face of the upcoming weekend as the homegrown star. Suárez has become even more popular with his fellow drivers, some of whom have picked his brain for knowledge of what to expect and other local tidbits.
“I just feel very fortunate to be in this position and be able to represent my country, my community, my people, and to bring the entire NASCAR industry into my home,” Suárez said. “I don’t want to say I’m going to be the superstar down there, but I’m going to be local, and that will be special. And like I said, there are a lot of people down there who have followed me for 15 years.
“Actually, a few weeks ago I was in Mexico City doing some events, and I saw a kid on the street waiting for a taxi, and he had one of my hats. He said, ‘Daniel, I’m going to be at the race. I’ve been supporting you since the NASCAR Mexico days.’ There are going to be thousands of people like that.”
NASCAR has a worldwide presence, with series that run in Canada, Europe, Brazil and Mexico. The NASCAR Mexico Series will join the Cup and Xfinity series this weekend, but the two national series going international is a significant moment for the industry.
The Xfinity Series raced in Mexico City from 2005 through 2008, and the Craftsman Truck Series has previously run races in Canada. However, Sunday will be the first time the Cup Series, a true-blue American sport, holds a points-paying race outside the United States since 1958. In doing so, the industry will take its premier series and do what other professional American sports like the NFL and MLB have been doing for years: serving an international audience.
Suárez has no doubt that NASCAR can provide the same type of international appeal, especially as Mexico continues to grow its car, motorsports and overall sports culture.
“The reason I have zero doubt is because maybe I have a different perspective than most people and maybe most drivers here in the United States,” Suárez said. “Obviously, I’m Mexican. I have a wife who is Brazilian. We have a lot of relationships in Brazil and South America, Mexico, and I know some people in Argentina and Colombia. I know for a fact how popular this sport is, and I know that people will get crazy in Mexico. And I know if one day we race in Brazil and Argentina, it would be a huge success.
“There are a lot of people who love motorsports in Mexico and South America. So, the way I see it, the sky’s the limit. I think that NASCAR has done a tremendous job for over 75 years in the United States, and they have done a few things here and there internationally, but I think it’s a great time to explore new boundaries.”
Selected 16th in the 2022 amateur draft, DeLauter hit .278 with five homers and 21 RBIs in 34 games at Triple-A Columbus. He turns 24 on Oct. 8.
DeLauter was sidelined by injuries for much of this year. He was hurt during a pregame workout at spring training on Feb. 28 and had bilateral core muscle surgery on March 4 for a sports hernia.
After eight games at the rookie-level Arizona Complex League Guardians, DeLauter played his first game this year for Triple-A Columbus on May 23, but he stayed in the lineup only until July 12. He had surgery 11 days later to repair a fractured hamate bone in his right wrist.
DeLauter could be the first player to debut in the postseason since 2020, when Tampa Bay pitcher Shane McClanahan, San Diego pitcher Ryan Weathers and Minnesota outfielder Alex Kirilloff all accomplished the feat.
Manager Stephen Vogt said DeLauter has been taking batting practice at the organization’s Arizona complex. DeLauter had been slated to play in the Arizona Fall League.
“As we were talking through it and looking through the series with three games, we felt 11 pitchers was the right move,” Vogt said. “When we looked at at-bats, Chase was healthy, and he’s the best bat we have available to us. We thought it would be a good idea to get him on the roster.”
DeLauter is among seven left-handed bats on the Guardians’ bench and could come in to play center or right field.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch said DeLauter’s promotion was not a surprise.
“You can’t get into the building and not be seen by somebody. So we had some time to talk. And we have some pitchers and position players who spent some time in Toledo this year as well,” Hinch said. “Our teams, not only are we sort of intimately close at the big league level, but in Triple-A, in Double-A, in Single-A. We play these guys coming up throughout. And so you’ll hear our hitters talk about facing these guys in Akron or facing these guys in Erie, along with Toledo and Columbus.”
The Tigers left off right-handers Chris Paddack and Tanner Rainey but included right-hander Paul Sewald for the best-of-three series that started Tuesday.
New York is carrying 12 pitchers and 14 position players. Escarra is the third catcher after Austin Wells and Ben Rice, giving manager Aaron Boone pinch-hitting and pinch-running options.
Warren is viewed as a better relief option than Gil, who averaged 5.2 walks per nine innings.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Twins fired manager Rocco Baldelli on Monday, ending his seven-year tenure that included three American League Central titles after a second straight disappointing season.
“This is a difficult day because of what Rocco represents to so many people here,” Twins president Derek Falvey said in a statement. “He led with honesty, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to our players and staff. He gave himself fully to this role and I have tremendous respect and gratitude for the way he carried himself and the way he showed up every single day.”
The Twins, who were expected to contend for the AL Central title this season, faltered in June and became active at the trade deadline, sending away 10 players while cutting $26 million from the payroll. The team went 23-43 after the All-Star break to finish fourth in the division with a 70-92 mark.
Minnesota went 19-35 after the trade deadline passed, with only the Colorado Rockies faring worse over the final two months.
The Twins finished with the fourth-worst record in the major leagues and their worst mark since 2016, when they went 59-103 after firing longtime general manager Terry Ryan at midseason. Falvey was hired to replace Ryan after that.
The 44-year-old Baldelli, who won the 2019 AL Manager of the Year award as a rookie, has led the Twins to three division titles. In 2023, Minnesota ended a record 18-game postseason losing streak and won its first playoff series since 2002.
Baldelli had an overall record of 527-505 in seven seasons, and he’s the third-winningest manager in Twins history behind Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire.
Attendance has swooned at Target Field, with the Twins finishing with an 81-home game total of a little more than 1.7 million tickets sold, their lowest number in a non-pandemic season since 2000 when they played at the Metrodome and finished 69-93.
Fans have mostly directed their disdain toward ownership, with deep frustration over cost-cutting that came after the 2023 breakthrough. The Pohlad family put the franchise up for sale last year, but decided last month to keep control and bring on two new investment groups for an infusion of cash to help pay down debt.
The dizzying trade-deadline activity left Baldelli and his staff without much to work with down the stretch, though All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton was a bright spot in a breakthrough season for his health, and rookie second baseman Luke Keaschall provided consistent production and a professional approach at the plate belying his inexperience.
The departures of shortstop Carlos Correa, outfielder Harrison Bader, first baseman Ty France and multi-position player Willi Castro robbed the lineup of experience and steadiness, but that was nothing like what happened to Baldelli’s bullpen.
The Twins traded their five best relievers, from closer Jhoan Duran on down, and left the final 54 games to a ragtag group that had eight blown saves in 18 opportunities during that span.
Baldelli was hired before the 2019 season to replace Hall of Famer Paul Molitor, with Falvey citing his adaptivity to the data-based direction of baseball strategy and his communication skill in distilling it to coaches and players and clearly setting expectations and preferences.
“Over the past seven years, Rocco has been much more than our manager. He has been a trusted partner and teammate to me in leading this organization,” Falvey said in a statement. “Together we shared a deep care for the Twins, for our players and staff, and for doing everything in our power to put this club in the best position to succeed.
“Along the way we experienced some meaningful accomplishments, and I will always be proud of those, even as I wish we had ultimately achieved more.”
ARLINGTON, Texas — Bruce Bochy will not return as manager of the Texas Rangers after a three-year stint that began with the franchise’s first World Series championship in 2023 before missing the playoffs and not having a winning record in both seasons since then.
The Rangers said Monday night that the team and Bochy mutually agreed to end his managerial tenure in Texas. Bochy was offered a front office role to stay in an advisory capacity, the team said.
The move came a day after the Rangers finished 81-81. That was the first .500 record for the franchise that began as the Washington Senators in 1961 before moving to Texas in 1972, and a first for Bochy in 28 seasons managing San Diego, San Francisco and Texas.
Bochy was at the end of the three-year contract he got when Chris Young, one of his former pitchers, hired him after the Rangers’ sixth consecutive losing season. Bochy went 249-237 with the Rangers.
“Bruce Bochy is one of the greatest managers in baseball history, and he will forever hold a place in the hearts of Ranger fans after bringing home the first World Series title in franchise history in 2023,” said Young, then their general manager and now the Rangers’ president of baseball operations. “Boch brought class and respect to our club in his return to the dugout, and we will always take pride in being part of his Hall of Fame career.”
After turning 70 this season as baseball’s winningest active manager, Bochy has a career record of 2,252-2,266, with those wins ranking sixth among all managers — the five ahead of him are all in the Hall of Fame. No managers in the past 60 years have more than Bochy’s four World Series titles, and the only ones with more are Joe McCarthy, Casey Stengel and Connie Mack.
Bochy had been out of managing for three seasons when he was hired by Texas. He had stepped out of the Giants dugout at the end of 2019 after 13 seasons and three championships from 2010 to 2014. That followed 12 seasons and another National League pennant with the Padres.
San Francisco, also 81-81 this season, fired second-year manager Bob Melvin on Monday after the Giants missed the playoffs for the fourth year in a row. Minnesota fired Rocco Baldelli, ending his seven-year tenure that included three American League Central titles, but only one playoff appearance, over his final five seasons.
The Giants’ president of baseball operations is Buster Posey, the 2012 National League MVP and seven-time All-Star catcher who played all but the last of his 12 MLB seasons with Bochy as his manager.
Over the last week of the regular season, Bochy wouldn’t answer questions about his future with the Rangers, saying that the decision would wait until after the season. But he said he was having a great time and didn’t sound like he was ready to be done as a manager.
“It’s as much fun as I’ve had in the game,” Bochy said last week about managing again. “I said this when I came back, you have a deeper appreciation when you’re out, especially for three years and you realize what you have, how blessed you are to be doing what you’re doing. It’s been a lot of fun, and I still love it, and enjoy it.”
And that was during a strange and frustrating season on the field for the Rangers, who, for the first time, had a pitching staff that led the majors in ERA (3.47). They also set a single-season MLB record with their .99112 fielding percentage, bettering the 2013 Baltimore Orioles‘ mark of .99104.
Among the potential replacements for Bochy in Texas is former Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker, who joined the Rangers last November as a senior adviser for baseball operations.
The 45-year-old Schumaker was the 2023 NL Manager of the Year after the Marlins went 84-78 and made the playoffs. They slipped to 62-100 in 2024 with a roster decimated by trades and injuries before the team and Schumaker agreed that he would not return for this season. He was previously a bench coach for St. Louis, where he had played for the Cardinals during their 2011 World Series championship over Texas.
Young said Schumaker would be a candidate, but that there had not yet been conversations within the organization about the search process.
The Rangers went more than a month at the end of the season without their half-billion-dollar middle infield of two-time World Series MVP shortstop Corey Seager (appendectomy) and second baseman Marcus Semien (left foot), as well as 35-year-old right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who was 11-3 with a career-best 1.73 ERA over his 14 MLB seasons before getting shut down because of a rotator cuff strain.
Even without those standouts and several rookies filling in, the Rangers went on a 13-3 run to get within two games of the AL West lead on Sept. 13, and in the thick of the wild-card chase. They then lost their next eight games and were eliminated from playoff contention.
The only manager older than Bochy this season was 73-year-old Ron Washington, but he didn’t manage a game for the Los Angeles Angels after June 19 because of quadruple bypass heart surgery.