Marlins' offense delivers for Skip in his final game

TORONTO—Skip Schumaker has managed his final game for the Miami Marlins. 

In the seventh inning of Friday night's game in Toronto, the Marlins announced that Schumaker will travel back home on Saturday to tend to a family health issue. Postgame, it was revealed that his grandmother had recently passed away. Bench coach Luis Urueta will manage the club for the remainder of the season.

"That was definitely for my grandma," said Schumaker after Miami's impressive 15-5 over the Toronto Blue Jays. Schumaker added that he's "not really sure" what the next couple of days will look like, but he confirmed that he will not return this season. 

"I'll definitely be watching the game[s] with my family, but that will be tough." 

Schumaker is a pending free agent. Last offseason, he requested that the Marlins void the 2025 option in his contract and the club complied.

"The biggest thing for me is the wonderful opportunity that was given to me, along with the relationships that I was able to build. It was a really good two years and, you know, we'll address the other stuff later."

Before his team took batting practice on Friday afternoon, Schumaker held a team meeting in the clubhouse to share what was going on. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, he told players that he won't be returning to Miami next season.

"It was emotional in there. When I addressed the team, it was very emotional, and that's because you care so much. Best part is the players know if it's bull crap or not," added Schumaker. "The game is the game, but the stuff that you build after or during the season for years is what matters most."

Following Thursday night's marathon win in Minnesota that lasted four hours and 16 minutes, the Marlins' team bus didn't arrive at their hotel until 5:30 in the morning. A slow start to Friday's contest was expected, but following their emotional team meeting, nobody is surprised that Miami delivered their best offensive performance of the season. 

The Marlins scored a season-high 15 runs on 17 hits. Xavier Edwards made history as he went 4-for-6 with three triples and four RBI. The three triples is a Marlins franchise recored. Additionally, he is just the 31st player since 1920 to accomplish that feat. He is also the first player to do so since Yasiel Puig in 2014. 

"We were running off a lot of adrenaline tonight," Edwards told reporters postgame. "We had a late night last night and had a quick turnaround and given the news, we definitely wanted to play well today."

When asked what Skip meant to the young infielder, Edwards mentioned, "I'll forever be grateful for Skip, my first manager. Great person, great manager, great baseball mind."

Edwards, whom the Marlins are confident will be their shortstop of the future, has put together a very encouraging sophomore season in Miami. After missing the first two months of the year with a left foot infection and not receiving ample playing time until early July, Edwards has cemented his place atop Miami's batting order. 

Including Friday night's historic performance, Edwards has slashed .327/.396/.420 in 69 games in 2024. 

Marlins clubhouse leader Jake Burger also had a big day at the plate as he went 3-for-6 with a double and two RBI. He made sure to let his feelings about Skip known postgame.

"I think that God puts people in your life for a reason. I maybe didn't see that until this year, but I think he put Skip in my life for a purpose," said Burger. "He helped me with a lot of stuff, on and off the field, so I'm forever grateful for who he is as a person. God gives his biggest challenges to his mightiest warriors, so, obviously he's going through a turbulent time, but I know he has the capacity to handle it."

Following emotional goodbyes with his staff, players, and media, Schumaker took off his Marlins jersey for the final time. An official announcement is expected to come from the team in the next few days. 

Offensive onslaught 

While Edwards stole the show on the field on Friday, plenty of Marlins hitters joined in on the fun. First-baseman Jonah Bride recorded his first career multi-homer day with a 2-for-4 performance. 

"After that meeting, we talked about how we have to send Skip out on a strong note today," said Bride. We all really enjoyed the heck out of playing for him."

Infielder Connor Norby went 3-for-6 with an RBI and Griffin Conine went 2-for-5 with his third career home run. On the mound, Adam Oller did what he's done all season or Miami: give his club five innings and a chance to win. 

Xzavion Curry will start Saturday's game for the Marlins as they look to secure the season-ending series in Toronto. The Blue Jays will counter with Yariel Rodriguez.