The Sports Report: Daniel Suárez makes NASCAR history

Howdy, I’m your host, Houston Mitchell. Let’s get right to the news.

From Kevin Baxter: About four hours before Sunday’s NASCAR Cup series race at Sonoma Raceway, on the edge of Northern California’s wine country, Daniel Suárez followed a mariachi band onto a raised platform in front of about 350 people wearing red T-shirts that identified them as “Daniel’s Amigos.”

For nearly an hour, Suárez spoke to the crowd of mainly young Mexican-Americans about his journey, hoping to inspire them and introduce them to auto racing. It’s something he does frequently on the NASCAR circuit.

This time, however, he went out and drove home that message by dominating a 36-car field to become the first Mexican and second Latin American-born driver to win a race in NASCAR’s top series.

“It’s crazy,” Suárez said. “I have so many thoughts in my head right now. It’s been a rough journey in the Cup Series, and these guys believed in me.

“I have a lot of people to thank in Mexico. My family, they never gave up on me. A lot of people did, but they didn’t. I’m just happy we were able to make it work.”

Suárez, racing in his 195th Cup Series event, took the lead from Chris Buescher on Lap 60, just below the large white tent where the “Daniel’s Amigos” crowd was gathered. Suárez ran on Buescher’s back bumper heading into Turn 7, at the end of a downhill portion of the challenging 1.99-mile road course, then muscled his way by when Buescher missed the sharp right-hand turn.

After taking the lead, Suárez said he looked up at the red-clad crowd of supporters on the hill. It was now they who were inspiring him.

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NASCAR Clash race will return to the Coliseum next year

DODGERS

From Jack Harris: Dave Roberts’ scrum with reporters Sunday morning began with a discussion about Walker Buehler’s injury and the void the pitcher’s absence will create for the rest of the staff.

Amid his team’s recent slump, however, the conversation quickly turned to another of Roberts’ frustrations — one he believed was more widespread within the Dodgers’ clubhouse and much harder for the typically mild-mannered manager to reconcile.

In what were unsolicited comments, Roberts said the team’s mindset needed to improve, that the Dodgers’ sense of urgency, especially at the plate, needed to change.

It didn’t translate to a win Sunday afternoon.

Despite an impressive start from Julio Urías, ample chances with runners on base and what Roberts said after the game was a better overall approach from the team, the Dodgers suffered their ninth loss in their last 13 games, a 2-0 defeat to the San Francisco Giants that completed a three-game sweep at Oracle Park.

ANGELS

From Mike DiGiovanna: It was hard to tell where Saturday night’s game ended and Sunday afternoon’s game began for the Angels, so blurred was the division between the two.

The momentum the Angels generated with their 11-run, 15-hit shellacking of the New York Mets on Saturday flowed right into Sunday, the Angels racking up four hits and scoring once in the first inning of the series finale.

But then, to steal a phrase former manager Joe Maddon used last weekend in Philadelphia, before he was fired amid a 14-game losing streak on Tuesday, it was as if the Angels “turned the spigot off.”

The shadows of a 4 p.m. start and the nasty split-fingered fastball of Mets right-hander Taijuan Walker took over, the Angels managing two singles and striking out 16 times in the final eight innings of a 4-1 loss before 36,598 in Angel Stadium.

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NHL PLAYOFFS

All times Pacific
Conference finals

Western
All games on TNT
Colorado (C1) vs. Edmonton (P2)
Colorado 8, Edmonton 6
Colorado 4, Edmonton 0
Colorado 4, Edmonton 2
Colorado 6, Edmonton 5 (OT)

Eastern
All games on ESPN
New York Rangers (M2) vs. Tampa Bay (A3)
New York 6, Tampa Bay 2
New York 3, Tampa Bay 2
Tampa Bay 3, New York 2
Tampa Bay 4, New York 1
Tampa Bay 3, New York 1
Tampa Bay 2, New York 1

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Colorado vs. Tampa Bay
Wednesday at Colorado, 5 p.m., ABC
Saturday at Colorado, 5 p.m., ABC
Monday, June 20 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., ABC
Wed., June 22 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., ABC
*Friday, June 24 at Colorado, 5 p.m., ABC
*Sunday, June 26 at Tampa Bay, 5 p.m., ABC
*Tuesday, June 28 at Colorado, 5 p.m., ABC

*-if necessary

NBA PLAYOFFS

Schedule and results
All times Pacific
NBA FINALS
All games on ABC

Boston vs. Golden State

Boston 120, Golden State 108
Golden State 107, Boston 88
Boston 116, Golden State 100
Golden State 107, Boston 97
Tonight at Golden State, 6 p.m.
Thursday at Boston, 6 p.m.
*Sunday at Golden State, 5 p.m.

*-if necessary

THIS DATE IN SPORTS

1913 — James Rowe, who had won back-to-back Belmont Stake races in 1872-73 as a jockey, sets the record for the most number of Belmont Stakes wins by a trainer, eight, when he sends Prince Eugene to victory.

1935 — Jim Braddock scores a 15-round unanimous decision over Max Baer in New York to win the world heavyweight title.

1953 — Ben Hogan wins the U.S. Open for the fourth time, with a six-stroke victory over Sam Snead.

1959 — Billy Casper wins the U.S. Open golf tournament over Bob Rosburg.

1971 — Kathy Whitworth wins the LPGA championship by four strokes over Kathy Ahern.

1982 — Jan Stephenson wins the LPGA championship with a two-stroke triumph over Joanne Carner.

1991 — The National, the nation’s first all-sports daily newspaper, ceases publication.

1992 — Sergei Bubka of Ukraine breaks his own world outdoor record in the pole vault by soaring 20 feet, one-half inch. The jump is the 30th time that Bubka has set the record indoors or outdoors, surpassing the 29 world records by distance runner Paavo Nurmi of Finland in the 1920s.

1993 — Patty Sheehan wins the LPGA Championship for a third time, with a 2-under 69 for a one-stroke victory over Lauri Merten.

1997 — Chicago wins its fifth NBA championship in the last seven years, as Steve Kerr’s last-second shot gives the Bulls a 90-86 Game 6 victory over the Utah Jazz.

2010 — Zenyatta wins her 17th consecutive race, giving her the longest winning streak by a modern-day thoroughbred in unrestricted races. The 6-year-old mare, ridden by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, wins the $200,000 Vanity Handicap by a half-length over St Trinians at Hollywood Park. With the victory, Zenyatta surpasses the 16-race winning streaks of Cigar, 1948 Triple Crown winner Citation, and Mister Frisky.

2011 — Boston scores four times in a 4:14 span of the first period and beats the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final at TD Garden, evening the best-of-7 series. Brad Marchand, Milan Lucic, Andrew Ference and Michael Ryder give Boston a 4-0 lead before the midway point of the first period.

2012 — Matt Cain pitches the 22nd perfect game in major league history and first for San Francisco, striking out a career-high 14 batters and getting help from two running catches by outfielders Melky Cabrera and Gregor Blanco to beat the Houston Astros 10-0.

2014 — The Netherlands thrashes Spain 5-1 in the World Cup’s first shocker, toying with an aging team that dominated global football for the past six years and avenging a loss in the 2010 final.

2014 — The Kings wins the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5.

2016 — LeBron James has 41 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists, Kyrie Irving also scores 41 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers capitalize on the Warriors playing without suspended star Draymond Green, staving off NBA Finals elimination with a 112-97 victory in Game 5. James and Irving are the first teammates to score 40 points in an NBA Finals game as the Cavaliers pulled within 3-2 and sent their best-of-seven series back to Ohio.

2017 — The Golden State Warriors win their second NBA tile in three years with a win over the Cavaliers 129-120.

2019 — The Toronto Raptors beat defending champion Golden State Warriors, 114-110 to win the franchise’s first championship.

Compiled by the Associated Press

And finally

The Kings win the 2014 Stanley Cup. Watch and listen here.