15-year Marliniversary: Nolasco breaks Willis' Marlins career Ks record

[Mike Ferguson]

In seven seasons with the club, Ricky Nolasco set the Florida/Miami Marlins franchise records for wins and innings pitched. On this day 15 years ago, he became the club’s all-time leader in strikeouts.

Nolasco was tied with Dontrelle Willis atop the all-time list as the Florida Marlins began a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds at Sun Life Stadium on Aug. 23, 2011. It took six outs, but by the middle of the second inning, Nolasco broke the record.

After allowing a home run to Yonder Alonso to open the second, Nolasco fanned Johnny Cueto, his counterpart, to break the mark and end the frame. It served as the 758th strikeout of his Major League Baseball career and Marlins tenure to that point. Then a member of the Reds, Willis was in the building to watch his record go down. 

Nolasco would finish the night with eight strikeouts while allowing four runs in 6 2/3 innings. He left in line to be the winner, but unfortunately, a late lead wouldn’t hold up as the Marlins allowed four runs in the ninth in an 8-6 loss.

Down 2-0 halfway through, the Marlins took the lead with three runs in the fifth. After Greg Dobbs’ sacrifice fly got Florida on the board, Omar Infante singled home the tying run before scoring on Gaby Sánchez’s RBI double.

A two-run home run by Emilio Bonifácio extended the lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth, but Jay Bruce answered with a two-run shot in the top of the seventh for Cincinnati. A sacrifice fly by Bonifácio in the eighth pushed the Florida lead to 6-4, but Juan Carlos Oviedo – then known as Leo Núñez – couldn’t close it out in the top of the ninth.

Two-run doubles by Dave Sappelt and Alonso accounted for the four Reds runs. Francisco Cordero retired the Marlins in order in the bottom of the frame to close the contest.

Sappelt and Alonso each finished with three hits and combined for six RBIs. Buck and Bonifácio each had two hits and two runs scored for Florida in the loss. Bonifácio had three RBIs.

The late loss marred Nolasco’s record-breaking night, but history was made. That record would last nearly 15 years before Sandy Alcantara surpassed the mark earlier this season against the Texas Rangers on June 23. He broke the previous record surpassed on this day 15 years ago.

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[THOMAS JOSEPH]

I like reading these accounts of the Marlins' history, almost all of which I don't recall, as a latecomer to Fish fandom (2021). I also dropped MLB for fifteen years entirely after the Expos left Montréal following the 2004 season. Indeed, I don't know about most of the players whose careers fall inside my self-imposed baseball interregnum. 

After the 2019 Washington Nationals championship season that I followed with my late friend, the pandemic season followed. I eschewed all of that ridiculousness entirely. Living mostly in Jacksonville at that time, the Jumbo Shrimp (Suns) had brought back some of my interest through the minor league game. 

I also blame much of my lameness at FOF Jeopardy on all of this (and I am sticking to that defense)!

Thanks for the lookback snapshots. 

[Jose Herrera]

Wow I was not expecting D-Train as a Red to be there.

[Jose Herrera]

@THOMAS JOSEPH Are you Canadian?