Daniel Michael Firova (born October 16, 1956) is an American professional

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

catcher Catcher is a position in baseball and softball. When a batter takes their turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home) umpire, and receives the ball from the pitcher. In addition to this primary duty, the catc ...

and coach who currently serves as the

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the

Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports league in the country. The league has 20 teams organized in two divisions, North and South. Teams play 114 games ...

. As a player, he caught 17 games: 13 in and three in for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

, and one in for the

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

. 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.

Playing career

While Firova was a freshman at Refugio High School, he accidentally cut off the

little finger The little finger or pinkie, also known as the baby finger, fifth digit, or pinky finger, is the most ulnar and smallest digit of the human hand, and next to the ring finger. Etymology The word "pinkie" is derived from the Dutch word ''pink' ...

on his throwing hand with a

band saw A bandsaw (also written band saw) is a power saw with a long, sharp blade consisting of a continuous band of toothed metal stretched between two or more wheels to cut material. They are used principally in woodworking, metalworking, and lumb ...

in shop class. Despite this, he earned a two-year baseball scholarship at Bee County College.Nelson, Kenda.
Refugio baseball star named manager of Laredo Brancos
, The Refugio County Press, March 25, 2010. After that, he played baseball at Pan American College, where he earned his degree, and was subsequently drafted by the Mariners. 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

. 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 The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

organization, then played in the Mexican League through 1993.

Coaching career

Firova served as the manager of Vaqueros Laguna in the Mexican League. He began managing in the Mexican League in 1993, and was named that league's Manager of the Year in 2000. As a club manager, Firova won 3 Mexican League Championships with the Mexico City Tigres in 1997, 2000 and 2001. The

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...

announced on December 15, 2015, that Firova would serve as Bullpen Coach with the team. His contract with them expired after the 2017 season. Firova was announced as the manager for the Triple–A

Acereros de Monclova The Acereros de Monclova (English: Monclova Steelers) are a professional baseball team in the Mexican League The Mexican Baseball League (, or LMB, ) is a professional baseball league in Mexico. It is the oldest running professional sports l ...

of the

for the Spring Tournament of the 2018 season. He was not brought back for the second tournament of the season. In 2019, Firova returned to

as the team's bench coach. On January 28, 2021, Firova joined the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

to serve as Quality Control coach with the major league team. In

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, the Astros won 106 games, the second-highest total in franchise history. They advanced to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

and defeated the

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...

in six games to give Firova his first career

title. On June 7, 2025, Firova was announced as the manager for the Conspiradores de Querétaro of the

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Firova, Dan 1956 births Living people Acereros de Monclova managers American expatriate baseball players in Canada American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Bakersfield Mariners players Baseball players from Refugio County, Texas Bellingham Mariners players Calgary Cannons players Charlotte Knights players Chattanooga Lookouts players Colorado Springs Sky Sox players Cleveland Indians players Dorados de Chihuahua managers Houston Astros coaches Jacksonville Suns players Major League Baseball bullpen coaches Major League Baseball catchers Minor league baseball managers Olmecas de Tabasco managers People from Refugio, Texas Piratas de Campeche managers Reno Silver Sox players Salinas Spurs players San Jose Missions players Seattle Mariners players Spokane Indians players Sultanes de Monterrey managers Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos managers Tuneros de San Luis Potosí managers UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros baseball players Vaqueros Laguna managers Washington Nationals coaches Williamsport Bills players Winston-Salem Spirits players American disabled sportspeople Sportspeople with limb difference Baseball players with disabilities 20th-century American sportsmen