Fish Stripes: All Posts by Mike Ferguson

5-year Marliniversary: Marlins score two in ninth to rally past Mets

2023-05-23T07:15:00-04:00

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A Marlins memory from this day in 2018.

Despite being one of the top perennial pitchers in baseball during his time with the New York Mets, Jacob deGrom has lost eight of his last 14 decisions against the Miami Marlins. Against Miami, deGrom also holds a sub-three ERA for his career.

On this day five years ago, the right-hander was as good as advertised, but the Mets’ bullpen let him down. After being shut out for eight innings, the Marlins scored two runs in the ninth to stun New York, 2-1.

Miami had been held to just five hits as it came to bat in the top of the ninth inning at Citi Field on May 23, 2018. With a 1-0 lead, the Mets turned to closer Jeurys Familia.

Familia was able to get Lewis Brinson to ground out to open the inning, but a single from Martin Prado and a double from Derek Dietrich put the winning run in scoring position. Three pitches later, catcher J.T. Realmuto lined a single to center. The line drive tied the game, but Dietrich was gunned down at the plate by Michael Conforto in center field.

With two outs, Familia walked Justin Bour to put the lefty on and face Starlin Castro. That turned out to be a mistake.

On a 1-2 pitch from Familia, Castro lined one over the head of a leaping Luis Guillorme at third base. Realmuto scored standing up to give Miami its first and only lead of the night. Brad Ziegler induced three groundouts in the bottom of the inning to collect the save.

Realmuto and Brian Anderson each had two hits for Miami in the win. Adam Conley worked a scoreless eighth to pick up his first victory of the season.

In 19 meetings between the teams in 2018, the Marlins went just 7-12. Two of those seven wins for Miami came in its final at-bat. The lone one to meet that criteria at Citi Field came on this day five years ago.

30-year Marliniversary: Felix’s late blast lifts Marlins past Cubs, 5-3

2023-05-21T07:15:00-04:00

A Marlins memory from this day in 1993.

For the inaugural Florida Marlins team, home runs weren’t a big part of their offensive arsenal. In 1993, Florida hit fewer homers than any team in baseball.

On this day 30 years ago, however, Junior Felix hit one worth remembering. Felix’s two-run blast in the eighth inning was the difference as the Marlins topped the Chicago Cubs, 5-3.

Trevor Hoffman had worked out of a major jam in the top of the eighth inning at Joe Robbie Stadium on May 21, 1993. With two runners in scoring position and no one out, Hoffman was able to get two groundouts and a strikeout to avoid damage.

Facing lefty Paul Assenmacher in the bottom of the eighth, the Marlins recorded two outs on just three pitches. Then, Benito Santiago kept the inning going with a single to left field. Up came Felix.

Felix had misplayed a ball in right field during the top of the inning to put the Cubs in position to take the lead. After Hoffman’s Houdini act kept the game tied, Felix atoned for his fielding blunder. Assenmacher was able to get ahead in the count 0-2 before Felix turned around the next pitch and belted it over the left-field wall.

The Marlins regained the lead and went ahead for good. Bryan Harvey worked a scoreless ninth to pick up the save.

Steve Buechele drove in the game’s first two runs for the Cubs with an RBI triple in the second innings and an RBI double in the fourth against Florida starter Ryan Bowen. Trailing 2-0, Bowen helped himself in the bottom of the fifth with a game-tying two-run triple. Bowen would come around to score on an RBI single from Chuck Carr.

The Cubs tied the game in the top of the seventh as Jose Vizcaino grounded into a double play. Ryne Sandberg scored two of the three Chicago runs in the loss. Felix and Walt Weiss each had two hits for the Marlins in the win.

Over the years, the Marlins and Cubs have played some pretty significant games against one another, including postseason meetings in 2003 and 2020. The first-ever meeting between the teams was decided by a Felix homer on this day three decades ago.

30-year Marliniversary: Ryan Bowen throws first shutout in Marlins history

2023-05-15T07:00:00-04:00

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A Marlins memory from this day in 1993.

No-hitters, All-Stars, Cy Young Awards, World Series MVPs—the Florida/Miami Marlins have had them all on the mound throughout their 31-year history. On this day 30 years ago, Ryan Bowen etched his name in Marlins lore by completing a franchise first.

Against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on May 15, 1993, Bowen tossed the first complete-game shutout in franchise history. It came in an 8-0 victory for the Florida Marlins.

In their inaugural season, the Marlins arrived with 15 wins under their belts, but had yet to keep a team off the scoreboard. That would be no problem for Bowen.

Throughout the night, Bowen had to work around traffic on the bases as he yielded six hits and four walks. Each time, however, he was able to pitch out of trouble.

Bowen faced the minimum the first time through the order. It wasn’t until the fourth inning that Florida found offense of its own.

After Benito Santiago’s RBI groundout got the Marlins on the board in the fourth, a line-drive double play off the bat of Ozzie Smith in the bottom of the inning allowed Bowen to again face the minimum. Florida grew its lead with three runs in the fifth.

Following two walks and a hit by pitch to load the bases, Chuck Carr plated two runs with a double to left. Rich Renteria’s RBI single scored Bowden to push the lead to 4-0.

Todd Zeile would have the first St. Louis hit off Bowen in the fifth, but the Cardinals could muster nothing else. St. Louis put two in scoring position with one out in the sixth inning, but Bowen was able to get Smith to pop out before striking out Ray Lankford.

Following an RBI single from Junior Felix in the top of the seventh, the Cardinals’ first two hitters reached in the bottom of the inning. With one out in the inning, Renteria gunned down Gregg Jeffries at the plate on a groundball off the bat of Luis Alicea to keep the shutout intact.

The Marlins used an RBI triple from Walt Weiss and an RBI double from Renteria in the eighth to push the lead to 7-0. In the bottom of the inning, the first two men again reached for the Cardinals, but Bowen was able to get Smith to hit into a second double play before fanning Lankford for the second time.

Weiss capped the scoring with an RBI single in the ninth. Mark Whiten recorded St. Louis’ final hit of the night with a one-out single in the bottom of the inning. After getting Zeile to pop out, Bowen struck out Alicea to cap the contest.

Bowen finished with 119 pitches and just three strikeouts in the victory. Offensively, Carr, Renteria, Weiss, and Alex Arias each finished with two hits for Florida.

Bowen would spend five full seasons in Major League Baseball, compiling just a 17-28 record and 4.49 career ERA. He would finish his career with three complete games and just one shutout. It happened to be the first shutout in Marlins history. It came on this day three decades ago.

20-year Marliniversary: Dontrelle Willis picks up first career win

2023-05-14T07:15:00-04:00

Photo by George Gojkovich/Getty Images

A Marlins memory from this day in 2003.

During his time in South Florida, Dontrelle Willis brought energy, enthusiasm and stellar pitching.

A two-time All-Star for the Florida Marlins, Willis still holds single-season and career records for the franchise today. He picked up his first Major League Baseball win on this day 20 years ago.

Willis got the start at Qualcomm Stadium as the Marlins took on the San Diego Padres in the rubber game of a three-game series on May 14, 2003. Things started rough for Willis, but the offense came around late in a 10-3 victory.

Brian Buchanan provided the early offense for San Diego with a two-run double in the first and an RBI double in the third. The Padres led 3-0 through three innings, but Willis settled in and the Florida bats came to life.

The Marlins managed to draw even in the top of the fourth. After San Diego’s Mike Bynum issued back-to-back walks to Ivan Rodriguez and Juan Encarnacion, Brian Banks came through a with a three-run home to left field to tie the game.

Willis worked a 1-2-3 fourth before the Marlins again used the long ball for a four-run fifth inning. Bynum started the inning by giving up singles to Juan Pierre and Alex Gonzalez. That was followed with a consecutive home runs from Mike Lowell, a three-run blast, and Derrek Lee, a solo shot. Just like that, Bynum’s night was done and the Marlins led 7-3.

Willis worked around a walk and a wild pitch in the fifth. He ended the inning and his night with a strikeout of Buchanan.

In five innings of work, Willis allowed three runs on five hits and four walks while striking out seven. The Florida bullpen of Tim Spooneybarger, Juan Alvarez and Toby Borland combined to allow just two hits in four shutout innings of relief.

The offense added three runs in the seventh, thanks to RBI triples from Banks and Alex Gonzalez. Pierre added an RBI single during the inning.

Banks (3) and Encarnacion (4) would combine for seven of the 17 hits for the Marlins in the victory. Rodriguez and Willis were the only two Florida starters held without a hit.

The 2003 National League Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, Willis spent five years with the Marlins. He left as the club’s all-time leader in wins, innings pitched and strikeouts. He remains the team’s all-time leader in complete games and shutouts. His first big-league victory came on this day two decades ago.

20-year Marliniversary: McKeon hired as Marlins manager

2023-05-11T07:15:00-04:00

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A Marlins memory from this day in 2003.

Jack McKeon is a baseball lifer. The former catcher began playing professionally way back in 1949 and he remains in the game to this day as a special advisor with the Washington Nationals.

In between, McKeon managed five Major League Baseball teams and had a winning record with four of them. His only postseason appearance came as the skipper of the Florida Marlins. He began his tenure on this day 20 years ago.

After a 16-22 start to the season, the Marlins parted ways with manager Jeff Torborg. On May 11, 2003, the club announced the 72-year-old McKeon as his replacement.

McKeon hadn’t managed in the big leagues since 2000 with the Cincinnati Reds, but proved up to the challenge. Things didn’t get off to the greatest start for McKeon as Florida fell 10 games below .500 in late May. By the early parts of July, however, the Marlins had a winning record.

Florida would go on to make the postseason for just the second time in franchise history in 2003, claiming the National League Wild Card. After taking down the San Francisco Giants in four games in the National League Division Series, Florida erased a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Chicago Cubs in seven games to win the National League pennant.

McKeon watched as the Marlins topped the New York Yankees in six games to win the club’s second World Series. At 72, McKeon became the oldest manager to win the World Series.

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McKeon would spend three seasons with the Marlins before retiring again. At the age of 80, however, McKeon came out of retirement to manage Florida for the remainder of the 2011 season.

During his tenure with the Marlins, McKeon went 281-257 and won his lone World Series ring. He was first introduced as the team’s skipper on this day two decades ago.

20-year Marliniversary: Encarnacion’s walk-off bomb lifts Marlins past Rockies in Willis’ debut

2023-05-09T07:15:00-04:00

Photo By Eliot J. Schechter/Getty Images

A Marlins memory from this day in 2003.

Acquired in a 2002 trade that sent Cliff Floyd to the Montreal Expos, Juan Encarnacion was quietly a dependable player for the Florida Marlins during his tenure. In three-plus seasons with the team, Encarnacion batted .271 with 46 home runs and 223 RBIs.

On this day 20 years ago, the Dominican Republic native played the role of hero with a walk-off home run in a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies. Encarnacion’s blast, however, wasn’t the only significant event of that day. It also came in the Major League Baseball debut of pitcher Dontrelle Willis.

At Pro Player Stadium on May 9, 2003, Willis gave Florida a quality start. In six innings, the lefty allowed just three runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out seven.

As Willis exited following the top of the sixth, he was on the short end of a 3-1 score. Before the sixth inning was over, however, Willis was off the hook for the loss.

After back-to-back two-out singles from Ivan Rodriguez and Derrek Lee, Encarnacion doubled home two down the left-field line off Darren Oliver to knot the score 3-3. The Rockies regained the lead in the top of the eighth on an RBI single by Jose Hernandez, but the Marlins again had an answer. Mike Lowell scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game once again, 4-4.

Braden Looper worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give the Marlins the chance to walk it off. Facing Justin Speier, Encarnacion did just that.

On a 1-2 pitch, Encarnacion blasted one over the left field wall. The blast capped a three-RBI night for Encarnacion and put Florida in front for the first time since the third inning.

It was a solo blast from Lowell in the bottom of the first that got the scoring started. Oliver and Jay Payton came through with RBI singles in the third inning to put Colorado up 2-1. Preston Wilson, a former Marlin, hit a solo home run in the sixth to push the Rockies’ lead to 3-1.

Over his 11-year career, Encarnacion hit 156 home runs. His lone walk-off came as a member of the Marlins and in Willis’ big-league debut. It came on this day two decades ago.

10-year Marliniversary: José Fernández picks up first career win

2023-05-04T07:15:00-04:00

Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images

A Marlins memory from this day in 2013.

Former Miami Marlins pitcher José Fernández’s life was tragically cut short by a boating accident in September 2016. During his short life, Fernandez provided smiles and stellar performances on the baseball diamond.

On this day 10 years ago, Fernández picked up his first career win in Miami’s 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. He outdueled a two-time reigning All-Star in Cole Hamels.

Unlucky early on in his career, Fernández was near flawless at Citizens Bank Park on May 4, 2013. Over seven shutout innings, Fernández allowed just a hit and a walk while striking out nine.

Freddy Galvis’ one-out single in the first served as the only hit against the 20-year-old right-hander. Fernández responded by striking out Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to end the inning.

Not a single baserunner reached scoring position against Fernández. Galvis walked to open the seventh inning. Fernández again responded in a big way by striking out the side, fanning Utley, Howard, and Delmon Young. Howard struck out three times.

In eight innings, Hamels, Fernández’s counterpart, allowed just four hits. Two of those, however, were solo home runs. After Marcell Ozuna homered in the second inning, Chris Valaika went deep in the third to cap the scoring.

As for the Miami bullpen, Mike Dunn worked a 1-2-3 eighth inning. Steve Cishek used two strikeouts to work around a one-out walk to pitch a scoreless ninth and pick up the save.

Over four seasons with the Marlins, Fernández would go on to make two All-Star Games. He finished with a 38-17 record and 2.58 ERA. His first victory came on this day a decade ago.

30-year Marliniversary: Rick Renteria records first walk-off hit in Marlins history

2023-05-01T07:15:00-04:00

h/t @EveryMarlinEver/Twitter

A Marlins memory from this day in 1993.

Edgar Renteria is probably still the proud owner of the most famous walk-off hit in Florida/Miami Marlins history. Renteria’s single in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series gave the franchise its first world championship.

The first walk-off hit in club history, however, came courtesy of another Renteria. On this day 30 years ago, Rick Renteria delivered the dagger in the 12th inning as the Florida Marlins topped the Colorado Rockies, 7-6.

Neither team had scored since the seventh inning as the Marlins came to bat in the bottom of the 12th at Joe Robbie Stadium on May 1, 1993. After Gary Wayne had stranded a Florida runner in scoring position in each of the two previous innings, Colorado turned to right-hander Steve Reed.

Reed was able to get Benito Santiago to fly out to begin the inning, but a single by Jeff Conine and a walk to Monty Fariss put the winning run in scoring position for the third straight inning. On the second pitch from Reed, Walt Weiss grounded out to put two runners in scoring position.

Renteria wouldn’t make it so easy for Reed, however. Reed was able to get ahead in the count, but Renteria fought off one pitch after another. On the 12th pitch of the at-bat, Renteria finally won the battle as he lined the 2-2 pitch into left field for the game-winning RBI single.

The walk-off hit, however, wouldn’t serve as the only first for the Marlins that evening. Trailing 3-2 in the fifth inning, Florida went ahead for the first time on a grand slam by Jeff Conine – the first in franchise history.

Trailing 6-3, the Rockies evened the game with three runs in the seventh. Andres Galarraga and Charlie Hayes came up with RBI singles before Joe Girardi, a future Marlins manager, tied the game with an RBI groundout. Girardi (3) and Hayes (2) combined to drive in five of the six Colorado runs.

For the Marlins, Conine finished with three hits and three runs scored. Chuck Carr added two hits. Closer Bryan Harvey worked two scoreless innings of relief to pick up his first win.

Renteria’s 12th-inning single not only gave the Marlins their first walk-off win but it also served as their first extra-inning victory. It came on this day three decades ago.

10-year Marliniversary: Marlins use wild pitch to walk-off Mets for second straight night

2023-04-30T07:15:00-04:00

Photo by Jason Arnold/Getty Images

A Marlins memory from this day in 2013.

For the 2013 Miami Marlins, wins were rare. Of Miami’s 62 wins, however, seven came in walk-off fashion.

That was the case on this day 10 years as the Marlins overcame a deficit in their final at-bat for a second walk-off win in as many days over the New York Mets. A wild pitch ultimately gave the Marlins a 2-1 victory.

The Marlins had just three hits off New York starter Jeremy Hefner as they came to bat in the bottom of the ninth at Marlins Park on April 30, 2013. With the Mets leading 1-0, Hefner was sent back out for the ninth to try to finish the contest.

Pinch hitter Chris Coghlan got the Miami rally started by singling to left field on a 3-1 pitch. After a passed ball moved Coghlan into scoring position, Juan Pierre laid down a bunt.

Catcher Anthony Recker tried to get Coghlan at third. Coghlan appeared to have come off the base on his slide but was called safe. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Hefner’s night was over.

The Mets turned to closer Brandon Lyon. On a 3-2 pitch, Donovan Solano singled to right, scoring Coghlan and moving Pierre to third. Now tied 1-1, Lyon intentionally walked Placido Polanco.

With the bases loaded and nobody out, Greg Dobbs came to the plate. Dobbs wouldn’t have to swing the bat. Lyon’s first pitch to Dobbs squirted past Recker and Pierre scored easily to give Miami its second come-from-behind walk-off victory in as many days.

The teams combined for just nine hits in the contest. Solano and New York’s Lucas Duda each had two for their respective teams. A sacrifice fly from Recker in the fifth served as the Mets’ lone run. Ryan Webb pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for the Marlins to pick up the win.

The Marlins would notably close the 2013 season with back-to-back walk-off wins. Before that, they closed April with consecutive walk-off victories. The second of those came on a wild pitch and on this day one decade ago.

10-year Marliniversary: Marlins rally past Mets with 2 runs in 15th

2023-04-29T07:15:00-04:00

Photo by Jason Arnold/Getty Images

Throughout their history, the Miami Marlins and New York Mets have had more than their fair share of lengthy games against one another.

On this day 10 years ago, it took the Marlins 15 innings to emerge victorious. After the Mets took the lead in the top of the inning, the Marlins scored two in the bottom half to win in walk-off fashion, 4-3.

Just to get the game to extra innings, Miami needed a run as it came to bat in the bottom of the ninth on April 29, 2013. Trailing 2-1 against New York closer Bobby Parnell, Justin Ruggiano led off the inning with a double. A single from Rob Brantly put runners on the corners before Nick Green tied the game with a sacrifice fly.

The teams traded zeroes for the next five innings before the Mets finally got to the Miami bullpen in the top of the 15th. With two runners in scoring position, Ruben Tejada’s infield single off Miami’s Jon Rauch plated the go-ahead run. Fortunately, Green, the Marlins shortstop, was able to save a run by keeping the ball on the infield.

That would prove large.

With one out in the bottom of the frame against Shaun Marcum, a Greg Dobbs single got the rally started. Following a walk to Ruggiano, Brantly singled home the tying run as Ruggiano made his way to third. On the very next pitch, Green lifted a flyball to left field to score Ruggiano for the walk-off run.

Prior to the ninth, the lone Miami run came in the third inning as Giancarlo Stanton grounded into a double play. The Mets answered in the top of the fourth when John Buck took Jose Fernandez deep for a two-run home run.

Six different Miami relievers combined to allow just a run on eight hits in 11 innings in the victory. Ruggiano, Brantly and New York’s Justin Turner each finished with three hits.

During the 2013 season, Miami would go just 6-13 in extra innings. Three of those wins came over the Mets. The first came on this day a decade ago.