20-year Marliniversary: Phelps leads Marlins in one-hit shutout of Reds

[Mike Ferguson]

Tommy Phelps had his finest day 20 years ago.

In more than three decades as a franchise, the Florida/Miami Marlins have had their fair share of no-hitters. On this day 20 years, three Florida Marlins combined to throw a one-hit shutout with perhaps the unlikeliest of starters.

On May 26, 2004, lefty Tommy Phelps had the finest day of his Major League Baseball career. Phelps allowed just a hit in seven shutout innings as the Florida Marlins downed the Cincinnati Reds, 3-0.

In three years in the bigs, Phelps made just 11 starts and picked up just four wins. Against the Reds at Great American Ball Park, Phelps yielded just a two-out double to Sean Casey in the fourth. He did issue a pair of walks, but one of those was negated by a double play.

Phelps had never made it past the sixth inning in any of his previous starts nor would he again. Matt Perisho and Armando Benitez each worked around walks over the final two innings to secure the one-hit shutout.

The Marlins went ahead for good in the top of the second inning as Jeff Conine doubled home Miguel Cabrera. Hee-Seop Choi added to the lead with a solo home run off Cincinnati starter Todd Van Poppel. Mike Redmond capped the scoring with an RBI single off Todd Jones in the top of the ninth.

While the Reds managed just one hit, Florida banged out eight. Redmond and Cabrera each recorded two hits. Cabrera scored two of three runs for the Marlins.

For Phelps, the victory would serve as his only win of the 2004 season and the last of his big-league career. It came on this day two decades ago.

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