30-year Marliniversary: Sheffield records pair of hits in Fish debut

A Marlins memory from this day in 1993.

The Florida Marlins’ first All-Star as a position player, Gary Sheffield spent five years with the club and left as its all-time leader in home runs. He remains the Marlins’ all-time leader in on-base percentage and OPS.

A midseason acquisition from the San Diego Padres, Sheffield made his Marlins debut on this day 30 years ago. Sheffield recorded two hits as the Florida Marlins defeated the Montreal Expos, 3-1.

Acquired in a trade that sent Trevor Hoffman, Andres Berumen, and José Martínez to San Diego, Sheffield found himself in the clean-up spot at Joe Robbie Stadium on June 25, 1993. It took little time to make his presence felt.

After Darrell Whitmore tripled home Bret Barberie in the bottom of the first to get the scoring started, Sheffield singled home a second run in his Florida at-bat to push the lead to 2-0. It was a welcomed sight for a team that would score the fewest runs in baseball.

In the fourth inning, Sheffield led off with another single off Ken Hill. Sheffield would fly and pop out in his final two at-bats, but he gave the Marlins the spark they needed at the plate.

On the mound, Jack Armstrong was stellar, allowing just a run on a walk and three hits in seven innings. Bryan Harvey worked two scoreless innings to pick up the save.

Up 2-0 in the sixth, Jeff Conine added to the Florida lead with an RBI single to score Whitmore. Whitmore and Sheffield each had two of the five Marlins hits. Montreal broke up the shutout in the eighth as a run scored when Delino DeShields grounded into a double play.

Sheffield would be a valuable member of the young Marlins franchise, helping Florida win its first World Series in 1997. Sheffield was a two-time All-Star as a member of the Marlins. His club record of 42 home runs hit in 1996 lasted for more than two decades. He made his debut for the Fish on this day three decades ago.

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