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Wire-to-wire win
Jazz Chisholm smashed an opposite-field home run on the second pitch of the game, Lewis Brinson and JJ Bleday went deep as well, and the Marlins started their 24-game Grapefruit League journey with a comfortable 6-1 win over the Astros. During the afternoon, 2019 draft picks Peyton Burdick and Nasim Nuñez made their major league spring training debuts and minor league signings Zach Thompson and Luis Marte played for the first time as members of the Marlins organization.
But Chisholm’s homer was the moment that resonated most. He explained to the media afterward that he stepped to the plate “trying to hit an oppo bomb” because he has rarely batted in the leadoff spot during his career. Generally speaking, Jazz has been a pull-happy hitter in the pros. However, he has shown plenty of power to left when he chooses to send balls in that direction—the Bahamian infielder has 13 career long balls to the opposite field in regular season games, according to Baseball Savant. (You may recall that he barely missed another one during Game 3 of the 2020 NLDS.)
Designer Brad Holmes gave Chisholm’s follow-through the MLB logo treatment.
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Chisholm and Isan Díaz are competing for a single spot on the Marlins Opening Day roster. Putting them in the same starting lineup—playing shortstop and second base, respectively, in this case—helps the team gather as much information as possible for evaluation purposes.
I have more spring training thoughts on the latest episode of The Offishial Show. Every Monday morning through the end of the 2021 season, I intend to release these solo podcasts. Please subscribe, rate and review wherever you get your pods!
The Marlins are home at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium on Monday to host the Mets. Probable starters are right-handers Sandy Alcantara and Harol González. Expect most position players who started in the spring opener to get a rest. No formal television broadcast, but just like on Sunday, the Marlins will attempt to set up a camera in the pressbox and sync it with their radio broadcast. Check here for the video link shortly before the 1:05 p.m. ET first pitch, or follow along with Fish Stripes on Twitter where we will tweet it out as soon as it’s available.
Walk-off links
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- Those spring training uniforms...gorgeous, aren’t they? Use our hashtag, #WearBlueNeverLose, to let the Marlins know that these should be worn during regular season games, too.
- Thanks to In the Clubhouse with the Nats Report for the invitation to come on their podcast. Key players that we discussed include Sixto Sánchez, Adam Duvall and Jorge Alfaro.
- The All-Time Marlins Countdown has entered its final month.
- Joe Robbie Stadium was hosting spring training games 30 years ago (and drawing huge crowds for ‘em).
- Monte Harrison used his time on the official MLB Instagram account Saturday night to talk with Chicago Bulls All-Star Zach LaVine and Indians right-hander Triston McKenzie and to answer lots of questions from fans. Rewatch below or read the highlights from it.
- Derek Dietrich is happy to reunite with Giancarlo Stanton in New York.
- Miguel Rojas had José Fernández on his mind, so Rojas wore his No. 16 jersey to Marlins camp on Sunday and posted photos of it along with the following caption:
Niño you are always remembered, but in this Spring Training times your presence is missed. The joy that you brought to the whole camp, your leadership, and the super power of make everyone stop to watch you throw on the side of this mounds whenever you was on it.
Remember before ur start every single time you bounced a ball during ur warm up you threw it away to the sea of fans right next to the bullpen at Roger Dean Stadium. That’s who you was bro a man of ur fans.
Wanted to take a minute and remember you today and say thank you for everything that you did for me and for being a friend since I got to the @marlins in 2015. One of my biggest goal is not to let ur fire and legacy go out and remind everybody who was “El Caballo” every 5th day (horse emoji).